Cream Pitcher c. 1937

This is Thomas Holloway's rendering of a cream pitcher, made with watercolor on paper. Holloway was born in London, and the image is likely a record of fashionable goods from his time. We can consider how the floral design, with its idealized, non-native species, might have symbolized the global reach of the British Empire. Domestic objects like this pitcher circulated within a complex system of trade, consumption, and display that reflected the social status of its owner. The material culture of the British upper and middle classes was rapidly expanding at this time, both in volume and range. Artists like Holloway were essential to visualizing this new world of goods. To truly understand this image, we need to ask how it circulated, who its audience was, and what kinds of institutions gave it value. The role of the historian is to consider the social conditions that shape artistic production and the ways in which images like this one come to have meaning.