Pitcher 1851 - 1857

This impressive white parian ware pitcher was made in the United States by the American Porcelain Manufacturing Company, which was only active from 1854 to 1857. Given its short existence, the institutional history of this company is intriguing. Parian ware was meant to imitate marble and was often used for statuary. Wealthy households would display it as a sign of their good taste. What's interesting here is the democratization of art. Instead of sculpting the pitcher, it was made through a mold. That meant that parian ware was cheaper to produce and thus made this kind of art more accessible to middle-class households. The pitcher tells us about the social ambitions of a rising middle class who could now participate in a culture of display that had previously been exclusive to elites. We can research the company’s records and sales figures from the period to deepen our understanding of social mobility and taste.