Punch Strainer c. 1765

Editor: Here we have the "Punch Strainer" by Daniel Parker, currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It's so simple, just shiny metal with holes, and yet, somehow, so elegant. What story do you think it has to tell? Curator: Oh, this little strainer sings of gatherings, doesn't it? I imagine it perched on the edge of a glass bowl, catching bits of fruit as a convivial host ladles out cheer. Do you think it has a song in it? Editor: A song? That’s an interesting idea! It feels more like a quiet observer to me. Curator: Perhaps both! A silent witness to laughter and secrets, its elegance reflecting the aspirations of a bygone era, don’t you think? Editor: I guess so. I’d never considered that a functional object could hold so much… history. Curator: Exactly! Everyday objects often whisper the loudest stories.