Pitcher 1857 - 1863

Editor: So here we have a porcelain pitcher by the Gloucester Porcelain Company, crafted sometime between 1857 and 1863. It’s currently at the Met. The delicate foliage really stands out – it gives a sort of refined, almost whimsical feeling. How do you read the design of this piece in light of the historical context? Curator: That's a great observation. Its seemingly innocent design hides a fascinating history. The pitcher appears during the rise of American industrialization. We see this folksy style porcelain attempting to find a space between handcrafted ideals, which were quickly disappearing, and machine made aspirations. How does its visual language fit into what’s going on in the broader art world and economy at that time? Editor: It’s like they’re clinging to nature, even as factories were encroaching on the natural landscape. But the factory-made form, is so perfect that the nature seems artificial. Curator: Exactly! Consider also the socio-political implications. Who was this pitcher marketed towards? It's unlikely it was working-class people, who perhaps appreciated the ‘real’ nature being replicated here even more, because they experienced it firsthand. Editor: Ah, so this pitcher isn’t just a charming piece of decorative art, but reflects class divisions and anxieties about industrialization. Curator: Precisely. These types of ceramics provided middle and upper class buyers an engagement with natural imagery, even when it’s distanced, stylized representation. It's folk art appropriated and sanitized by the factory. This pitcher really illuminates a moment in American history when consumerism, industrial manufacturing, and nostalgia collided. Editor: I see that tension so much more clearly now. Thanks! Curator: And thank you for sharing your first impressions; they help to frame the object anew.