Hobnail Creamer 1887 - 1896

Editor: This is the Hobnail Creamer, made of glass sometime between 1887 and 1896 by Hobbs, Brockunier and Company. All those little bumps give it a really tactile feeling, and I'm struck by the craftsmanship. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, focusing on the material reality, we see glass, but it's not just glass; it's pressed glass. That changes everything. This piece exists because of advances in industrial production. The hobnail pattern, far from being a mark of handcrafted uniqueness, is the result of standardized molds and repetitive labor. Editor: So, it's less about artistry and more about factory work? Curator: Precisely! Think about the glassworkers, the division of labor, the factory conditions, the coal fueling the furnaces. We should ask: who benefited from the proliferation of these affordable glasswares? The rising middle class. Were all handsomely compensated or treated ethically? What story does this seemingly innocent creamer conceal? Editor: I never thought about a creamer in terms of social and economic layers before. So it represents mass production more than artistry? Curator: Mass production is not absent of artistry! Craft remains, but the scale and accessibility shift. Look at how light filters through it – that aesthetic quality is now available to many households because of these industrialized techniques. Editor: That definitely shifts my understanding. Thanks. Curator: Indeed. Hopefully, this gives you something new to chew on when you contemplate the function, making, and consumption of objects, as well as all art.