Telegraph jug c. 1866

This "Telegraph Jug" was made by an anonymous artist. It is currently held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This jug invites us to think about the intertwined histories of communication, industry, and nationhood. The jug commemorates the laying of the Transatlantic Cable in 1858, a moment that shrunk the world, connecting Europe and America through instantaneous communication. Consider this object in relation to labor; the laying of the cable was a feat of engineering requiring immense human effort, yet the identities of the workers are lost, much like the anonymous artist who crafted this jug. The stark white porcelain, molded with precision, speaks to the industrial processes that enabled mass production and distribution. What does it mean to hold in your hands an object that celebrates connection while obscuring the hands that made it possible? How does it shape our understanding of progress and its human cost?