Mundane and Emblematic: The Social and Cultural Significance

Serving pieces and tableware have been, and continue to be, integral parts of the human social experience.  At their most fundamental level, these vessels hold liquids and condiments that enhance the dining experience.  However, objects like Grace’s sugar-bowl and gravy boat are not simply containers that hold sweeteners for tea or sauce for meals; these wares are imbued with a deeper social and cultural significance.  The pewter sugar-bowl and porcelain gravy boat have histories unto themselves.  These objects document how the art of tea and dinner service has evolved and how they are used in contemporary context as compared to previous decades. 

The sugar-bowl and gravy boat are staples in most homes.  Considering the caffeine dependency of many employed men and women, and of course stressed out graduate students, sugar-bowls could be considered a ubiquitous storage container that sits on top of kitchen counters, sitting next to the all-important coffeepot.   However, the sugar-bowl can also be one element of a much larger tea service.  The tea set as a whole may be seen a symbol of hospitality, used only during special occasions or when entertaining important visitors.  Alternatively, it may be used everyday as part of a daily routine between friends and family.  The degree of formality is completely dependent on the context.  The same can be said for the gravy boat; it may be stored in a cabinet and only taken out on the holidays or it may be used every time mashed potatoes are served at dinner.  The social significance of an object correlates to the time period in which it is used and how it is treated and utilized by its owners.

Sugar-bowls and gravy boats have appeared throughout literature, television, film, and other visual arts.  They are basic components of serving sets and table settings, but their roles vary.  In a movie, they may simply be part of the backdrop or they could be used as a location for social gathering that assists in developing the storyline.  Being such mundane yet emblematic objects, sugar-bowls and gravy boats have the potential to bring a story to life. 

Drawing on my archaeological experience and interests, I want to make a final note on the actual material make-up of the vessels.  What an object is made of or from can provide the material culture scholar with another avenue of interpretation.  The very composition of the pewter sugar-bowl and porcelain gravy boat changes over time and space.  For example, porcelain wares were once esteemed as objects that conveyed social rank and separated the elites from the “middling sort.”  In 2010, porcelain cups, saucers, and other types of serving pieces can be purchased at a high-end boutique and in the clearance section of a department store.  The social and cultural implications that the physical make-up of objects provide are dependent on many factors, one of the most important factors being how the owners perceive their objects and the messages they are sending to society at large.