Plate 1827 - 1850

Editor: Here we have a metal plate, created sometime between 1827 and 1850 by Thomas Danforth Boardman. It’s currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's so simple. Looking at it, I can't help but consider its domestic use. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, consider the humblest of objects – a plate. It's so incredibly fundamental, carrying centuries of loaded meaning within the human experience. The circular shape, perhaps an echo of the sun, becomes a site of sustenance, of communal gathering. What did it mean to share a meal from a plate like this in the 19th century, do you imagine? Editor: That's fascinating! It really changes the way I look at it. So, this plate…it's not just about eating, is it? Curator: No, indeed. Metal objects often spoke to prosperity, longevity. How might the weight of the material speak to its perceived value? What stories might this particular plate silently hold from its time in someone's home? Think about what it meant to pass down objects of value – what cultural continuities were expressed and what cultural memories were held through repeated usage? Editor: I never thought of it that way, the silent witness to daily life. This makes me realize the profound history embedded within ordinary things. Curator: Precisely! This simple plate isn't just a vessel; it's a container of stories. It speaks volumes if we listen with the right ears. It truly showcases the profound way objects carry emotional weight, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. I'll never look at a simple plate the same way again. Thank you.