Demijohn 1830 - 1855

Editor: This is a “Demijohn,” crafted between 1830 and 1855 by James Harvey Putnam. It's a striking metal vessel currently housed at The Met. I find the handle so interesting against the industrial looking body. What draws your eye in this work? Curator: Well, immediately I consider the labor involved. Think about the artisan who meticulously hammered and shaped this metal, and the social implications of a 'Demijohn’ being deemed worthy of artistic attention in the first place. The act of raising utilitarian items to an art object challenges the very definition of 'high art’. Editor: That’s a great point. I was so caught up in its shape that I missed how unusual it is to see something so…ordinary… displayed like this. Is it realism because it copies something ordinary? Curator: In a way, yes, but consider it from a materialist perspective. We’re not just looking at a representation of a container. We're witnessing the culmination of a specific labor process, from the extraction of raw materials to the final polishing of the metal. Each mark, each imperfection, tells a story about the production and consumption practices of the era. Editor: So, by focusing on the object's materiality, we’re not just seeing a pretty container. We’re actually seeing a slice of 19th-century economic and social life? Curator: Precisely! The “Demijohn” isn’t just about aesthetics. It's a testament to the era’s industrial growth, the value placed on metalwork, and how those factors blurred lines between art and craft. Editor: That’s really changed my perspective on the piece. It's more than just a container; it’s a material record of its time. Curator: And that material record invites us to question the categories we impose on art and everyday life, which is really powerful.