Pitcher 1858 - 1861

This pitcher was made by Millington, Astbury and Poulson around 1860, and it captures a violent moment in time, rendered in ceramic. Decoration like this served as a potent form of visual rhetoric. The scene depicted appears to show a man being shot, or pushed off a gangplank by soldiers, who are stylistically similar to depictions of Union soldiers at the time. During the Civil War, pitchers and other domestic objects often became vehicles for expressing political allegiances. The imagery could easily stoke strong emotions among those who viewed or used it, and it may have functioned as a means of normalizing violence. Consider how such an everyday object might carry the weight of historical trauma, blurring the lines between the personal and the political in the domestic sphere. It serves as a chilling reminder of how deeply ingrained conflict can become within the fabric of daily life.