Egg Cup 1870 - 1880

Curator: At first glance, this diminutive vessel radiates such a feeling of innocence, don't you think? The clear glass, those delicate, raised orbs… like captured bubbles. Editor: Indeed. That delicate air belies its complicated positioning within Victorian culture. We’re looking at a glass egg cup, crafted somewhere between 1870 and 1880 by Adams and Company. Curator: The 1870s! It transports me back to lace doilies and gas lamps, doesn’t it you? I can almost hear the polite chatter over crumpets. But it's the glass itself – a medium so ephemeral yet preserved. It has survived! Editor: Yes, its survival speaks to the complexities of its past. The rise of industrialization impacted both labor practices and design sensibilities, even in seemingly innocuous objects like this. Think about the environmental impact of glass production, for instance, and who bore the brunt of those costs. Curator: I must confess, my first instinct isn't really labour, rather I’m immediately transported to a scene from Alice in Wonderland, though of course a refined version. All dainty portions! Those textures, too, amplify this enchanting quality; it seems the pattern catches and refracts light like it is hoarding a rainbow! Editor: But who had access to these rainbows, right? Consumption like this was deeply stratified by class, gender, and even race. Who was permitted at the table? Who labored to set it? Who was explicitly excluded from that gentility? Curator: Alright, I see your point. A seemingly simple cup invites larger questions! Editor: It does, and those questions can help us better understand and resist power dynamics even today. After all, design, even design so simple, never exists in a vacuum. Curator: And maybe, that egg cup reminds us that these histories live alongside our present, asking for reflection! Thank you for unveiling dimensions hidden under what seems pretty and simple. Editor: Of course! Thanks to artworks such as these we are able to delve into this complex topic.