Basket 1884 - 1893

This basket was made in Trenton, New Jersey, by the Willets Manufacturing Company out of creamy white porcelain. The basket’s delicate lattice-work and applied floral decoration conceals the industrial processes required to create it. Willets specialized in a type of porcelain called Belleek, which imitated a famous Irish product. Like other American ceramics manufacturers of the late 19th century, the company sought to compete with European imports by combining technical innovation with skilled handcraft. Artisans, often European immigrants, would have carefully molded and assembled the individual elements. The goal was to offer luxury goods to the burgeoning middle class. The whiteness of the porcelain, combined with the basket’s intricate form, would have been seen as emblems of refinement. By emphasizing both machine production and handwork, Willets blurred the boundaries between industry and art, creating objects that spoke to America's complex aspirations during the Gilded Age. This piece invites us to consider the artistry inherent in industrial production, and the social ambitions embedded in everyday objects.