Ewer 1830 - 1840

Here is a silver Ewer made by Thomas Fletcher sometime in the 19th century. At the time Fletcher made this, silver was a symbol of wealth, luxury, and status, reflecting the social hierarchy of the time. In a young nation grappling with its identity, items like this ewer showcased American craftsmanship. The ewer, with its neoclassical design, also evokes a specific kind of nostalgia through its revival of Greek and Roman aesthetics. Who was served from this vessel, and by whom? The gleam of the silver belies the labor of those who mined it, those who crafted it, and those who perhaps served from it. The ewer might represent not just wealth but also the complex histories of labor and inequality woven into its creation and use. Consider how objects like this become vessels not only for liquids but also for the stories, values, and power dynamics of their time.