Sauceboat 1750 - 1760

This creamware sauceboat was produced by the Wedgwood Manufactory. Though we don't have an exact date for this piece, Wedgwood pottery was highly sought after throughout the late 18th century. During this period, dining was increasingly ceremonial, a marker of social status, and objects like this sauceboat would have been center stage. What does it mean to think about gender, class, and race alongside this object? Who was afforded the luxury of sauces, and who prepared them? Enslaved people labored to produce the sugar that accompanied so many meals and in this way, even a simple creamware sauceboat participates in a complicated history. These objects can offer a window onto the everyday lives and social structures of the past. As we engage with these items, we can consider how our own rituals and objects reflect and shape our identities today.