Silver Sauce Boat 1935 - 1942

Here you can see Henry Meyers' design for a silver sauce boat. Meyers, born in 1855, lived during a time of significant industrial and social change. As tastes became more refined, silver sauce boats were symbols of wealth and class. This design, with its elegant curves and ornate handle, speaks to the cultural values of the time, where beauty and craftsmanship were highly valued. It’s easy to imagine the sauce boat as part of elaborate dinner parties. Serving rich and decadent sauces, the visual is dripping with privilege. But think about what else it is dripping with: all that grease! The labor required to produce the silver, to cook and serve the food. Think of the hierarchy in which someone is literally serving someone else. This drawing helps us see the values and inequities of a bygone era.