Milk jug 1842

Charles Meigh created this milk jug out of white stoneware, but the specific date remains unknown. The piece speaks volumes about the social and aesthetic values of its time. During the 19th century, the Victorian era saw a surge in industrial production that brought decorative objects like this milk jug into middle-class homes. Its neo-Gothic design, featuring a series of figures in arched niches, reflects a fascination with the medieval period, a common theme in Victorian art and architecture. Yet, this romanticized view of the past often obscured the realities of labor and production. Consider how objects like this jug were made, distributed, and used. They shaped domestic life and social rituals, particularly those surrounding gender and class. The milk jug, a seemingly simple object, opens up a rich field of inquiry into Victorian society, its aspirations, and its contradictions.