Egg Cup 1830 - 1870

Editor: Here we have an Egg Cup, crafted sometime between 1830 and 1870, probably by the New England Glass Company. It's a seemingly simple, clear glass object, but I’m curious about its details, such as the repeated patterns. What can we learn about its production and usage in its time? Curator: Well, consider glass production in the 19th century. It wasn’t just about blowing glass; techniques like press-molding were becoming widespread. This egg cup, with its repetitive, almost industrial-looking patterns, screams mass production aimed at a burgeoning middle class. The cup ceases to be a precious object, instead its presence speaks to changes in access to domestic luxuries due to cheaper means of production and wider distribution. What do you make of its material’s transparency, the way it interacts with light? Editor: It does make it appear simple, yet delicate. It almost feels…precious in its everyday functionality. How does that play into the story of materiality and consumption you mentioned? Curator: Precisely. The transparency, the sparkle, all contribute to the *idea* of luxury while being an accessible commodity. This egg cup is also useful for discussing labor practices in the New England glass industry at that time. Were such items produced by skilled artisans, or by lower-wage factory workers? Whose labor created the conditions for its relatively low-cost accessibility? Editor: That puts a totally new spin on a simple glass object. I guess I hadn’t considered the connection between industrial methods, the rising middle class, and how objects like these both reflected and fueled those shifts. Curator: Exactly. Studying the materiality is just as important as focusing on form, to fully appreciate art. The very act of eating an egg becomes coded in consumer aspirations of 19th century America. Editor: I’ll never look at an egg cup the same way again!