Vase 1882 - 1892

This vase was made by the Chelsea Keramic Art Works in the late nineteenth century. It's an object that speaks to the cultural aspirations of post-Civil War America. The iridescent glaze is the key. It references the expensive and highly prized art pottery being produced in Europe and Japan at the time. American manufacturers sought to emulate these exotic effects, but also to put them within reach of a growing middle class through factory production. The Chelsea Keramic Art Works, though short-lived, was a significant player in this movement. The company hired talented designers and chemists and fostered a culture of experimentation. The iridescent glaze, though, required painstaking labor. Looking at this vase, we might ask: who bought these wares? How were they displayed? What did they signify about the owner's taste and social standing? Answering these questions requires archival research into company records, period advertisements, and domestic inventories. It's this work that allows us to understand the vase not just as a beautiful object, but as a window onto a particular moment in American social and cultural history.