Hot milk jug 1727 - 1728

This hot milk jug was crafted in the 18th century by James Ker. It is an object that at first glance might seem simple, but it speaks volumes about the social and cultural history of its time. Consider the rise of the coffee house culture in the 1700s. The increasing trade with the East introduced new commodities like tea, coffee, and chocolate, and these became fashionable beverages that stimulated social and commercial exchange. Objects like this milk jug were tools that supported new social practices. Silverware denoted status, and thus, milk jugs like these were status symbols displayed within domestic settings. The existence of institutions like the British East India Company underpinned all of this by facilitating the trade in commodities needed for rituals of consumption. By tracing the history of something as ordinary as a milk jug we can expose a network of social, cultural, and economic relations. We can look at shipping records, company reports, and family inventories to better understand the place of such objects in the 18th century.