Tankard 1760 - 1793

Curator: Hmm, look at this pewter tankard, probably made in the United States somewhere between 1760 and 1793, during a pretty turbulent time. It's currently residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Well, my initial reaction is quiet austerity. The cool, metallic sheen and simple lines project a functional elegance, a contrast to the chaos unfolding in history during its creation. Does that muted grey speak of the times, perhaps? Curator: Oh, I think it might. Consider pewter itself – a utilitarian metal, never as flashy as silver, but it ages with grace. Each little dent, scratch, that sort of thing; those blemishes would tell a story if this piece could talk. There's also something comforting in knowing someone once raised it in good company during hard times. Editor: I notice, too, that while it’s functional, there’s care in the details—the curled thumb rest on the lid, that elegantly simple handle. It almost reads as rebellion through understatement, finding small joys amid revolution. To me, that curl on the handle signifies how they tried to turn that into their home again. It offers that comfort through that curl in the handle. Curator: Nicely said. The object becomes more than simply the sum of its parts. I can see how a tankard became a signifier; as a symbol, a shared cup between comrades, kind of affirming your own sense of cultural and even personal belonging during that difficult period. Each of these probably felt deeply rooted within their identities during that time. Editor: Precisely! We’re connecting through touch, both literally and metaphorically. Every gathering became significant and symbolic. One could even argue each artifact or art piece from back then becomes a relic of how a society evolves their cultures. Curator: So, this quiet Tankard, more than a vessel, really? A muted metallic shout across time. A toast to American stories and resilience. I never saw it that way. Editor: That's it, exactly! Maybe objects really do contain the echoes of moments we barely perceive anymore. It shows so much, it's truly special in that way.