Coffee Pot 1750 - 1751

This coffee pot was crafted from silver by Fuller White in the mid-18th century, a time when the rituals of dining and hospitality were powerful displays of social status. Consider the context in which this object would have been used. Coffee, like tea and chocolate, was a luxury good, imported from distant lands. Owning a pot like this signaled wealth and cosmopolitanism. The neoclassical design, with its refined curves and engraved crest, speaks to the fashion of the time, a style embraced by the British elite. The dark wooden handle contrasts with the gleaming silver, providing a tactile element, but also a visual reminder of the raw materials brought in from across the empire. Objects like these offer us a tangible link to the past, prompting questions about trade, taste, and the social hierarchies of the 1700s. By researching inventories, trade records, and household accounts, we can begin to understand the lives and values of those who owned and used them.