Mug 1761 - 1799

This mug was made in the late 1700s by Frederick Bassett, a colonial American pewterer. Pewter is an alloy of tin with small amounts of other metals added for hardness and castability. Think about the processes involved. Molten metal poured into a mold, the careful polishing to a satin sheen, and the attachment of the handle with a hot soldering iron. You can see the maker’s marks near the handle, a kind of signature pressed into the metal. This wasn’t just any tradesman, but a master of his material. Bassett’s mug speaks to the material culture of early America, before mass production. Everyday objects like this one were carefully wrought by hand, meant to last, and valued as such. Pewter was a common material for tableware before the rise of cheaper ceramics and glass, and this mug, with its simple, sturdy design, evokes a time when craft and utility were closely intertwined.