Jug still bank c. 19th century

This anonymous jug still bank is a stoneware piece, but its date and origin are unknown. We can only speculate about its social meaning and cultural context. The object combines two familiar forms: a jug, often associated with alcohol consumption, and a piggy bank, an institution of saving and financial responsibility. Was it a comment on the relationship between vice and virtue, poverty and prosperity? Was it produced during the temperance movement of the 19th century as a moral statement? Or was it used in bars, saloons and taverns for tips? Perhaps further research into similar objects and the economic history of pubs might lead us to a better understanding of this unusual object. Only through a careful investigation of cultural and institutional context can we arrive at a fuller appreciation.