Blue Hand-painted Shell-edged Pearlware Plate Sherd (Archaeological Find)
Title:
Blue Hand-painted Shell-edged Pearlware Plate Sherd
Subject:
Particular ceramic finds can tell us much about what life was like for different kinds of people during the colonial period. This shell-edged sherd can provide distinct insight into the life of the student who might have dined off of it. For instance, one can tell from the blue pools of glaze that are present in the rim of the sherd that this ceramic was intricately hand crafted. Craftsmanship that incorporated a shell-edged design was particularly popular from 1780-1840. Its ornate design was a signifier of some level of material wealth, or at least the appearance thereof, as the objects used to lay a table spoke volumes about the host’s standing in society. Cohorts of wealthier students at Harvard during the late 1700’s may have held elaborate dinner parties, particularly members of the notable Porcellian and Hasty Pudding Clubs, whose names derived from the dishes that would be served at weekly meals (namely pork and hasty pudding, respectively). The importance of signifying class status shows that wealth inequality was endemic at Harvard during the 18th century, which makes sense given Harvard’s Puritan origins. Wealth was seen as a marker of hard work, a Puritan virtue that was passed down even as Puritan ideals of modesty went out of fashion.
Source:
"Diagnostic Artifacts." Diagnostic Artifacts. 2003. Accessed April 03, 2017.
http://www.jefpat.org/diagnostic/post-colonial%20ceramics/shell%20edged%20wares/Shell%20Edged%20Wares%20Main.htm.
"At Table: High Style in the 18th Century." Carnegiemuseums.org. Accessed April 03, 2017.
http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/cmp/cmag/bk_issue/1996/sepoct/feat5.htm.
Calnek, Anthony. The Hasty Pudding Theatre: A History of Harvard's Hairy-Chested Heroines. Milan: A.D.C., 1986.
Lockett, Terrence A. "Pearlware: Origins and Types (Part 1)." Pearlware: Origins and Types (Part 1). Accessed April 03, 2017. http://www.thepotteries.org/features/pearlware.htm.
"Party like it’s 1776: A Look at Eighteenth-Century Ceramics." NMSC Archeology & Museum Blog. February 10, 2012. Accessed April 03, 2017. https://nmscarcheologylab.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/party-like-its-1776-a-look-at-eighteenth-century-ceramics/.
Object Name:
Blue Hand-painted Shell-edged Pearlware Plate Sherd
Inventory Description:
Blue Hand-painted Shell-edged plate sherd
Peabody Number:
2016.29.541
Culture/Period:
1780-1840
Intrasite:
H934 Level 1
Depth:
51-62
Class 1:
Ceramic
Class 2:
Earthenware
Class 3:
Pearlware
Quantity:
1
Height (cm):
6.1
Width (cm):
3.2
Depth/Thickness (cm):
0.5
Notes:
Significantly chipped away veneer