Strainer 1755 - 1775

This silver strainer was made by John Coburn, a prominent silversmith active in Boston during the late 18th century. It’s a humble object, yet it speaks volumes about the global forces shaping early American life. Consider for a moment, tea’s journey from East Asian plantations, often cultivated through exploitative labor, to the tables of colonial America. This strainer, then, becomes more than a simple tool; it's a symbol of trade, of status, and of the complex social hierarchies of the time. The ritual of tea drinking was deeply entwined with gentility and social status. Objects like this strainer allowed the family to perform refinement and participate in a global economy. It reminds us of the intimate connections between everyday life and larger historical currents.