Milk Pot 1785 - 1794

This is a milk pot by Bancroft Woodcock, made of silver sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Milk pots like this were not simply functional objects; they were statements of social standing. Consider the context: this was a time of growing social stratification, where consumer goods became powerful symbols of status. The labor of silversmiths like Woodcock was fueled by international trade networks, and the wealth that flowed from colonial exploitation and the products of enslaved labor. The very act of displaying and using such an object was a performance of gentility. Looking closer, you can see engraved monograms, which further personalize the pot and root it in a specific family history. Researching these family names through period documents, like wills, inventories, and ledgers, would give us insight into the lives of the people who originally used and valued it. It is through this kind of investigation that we can better understand the complex social and economic world embedded in this seemingly simple vessel.