Boot with Spur 1870 - 1890

This novelty glass boot with spur was produced in the late nineteenth century by Challinor, Taylor and Company, an important manufacturer in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. The firm was one of many that sprang up to meet the burgeoning demand for affordable glassware as the United States industrialized, and the technique of mass production brought it within reach of the middle classes. Ornamental objects such as this were highly popular as domestic display pieces or for use in the service of food and drink. Although its precise function is unclear, the boot may have been intended as a toothpick holder or small vase. Its form references prevailing trends in fashion and popular culture, alluding to the iconic figure of the cowboy. By considering the institutional history of glassmaking and the commercial networks that sustained it, we can learn a lot about the social life of objects.