Description:
While poor and middle-class New Englanders did much of their washing up in a bucket at the back door, ceramics played a central role in the practice of personal hygiene in more wealthy households. The typical 18th-century method of cleansing involved a basin of water and a brisk rubbing of the skin with a towel, with washing rarely extending beyond the hands and face. Bathing rarely involved soap, which was expensive and used primarily for washing clothes. French traveler Moreau de Saint-Méry wrote in the 1790s that "American women carefully wash their faces and hands, but not their mouths, seldom their feet, and even more seldom their bodies." Basin is made of lead glazed pearlware (china glaze) transfer printed in underglaze blue. Pattern name: “Mosaic Tracery” The design has large basket with flowers, scrolls, more flowers, and leaves. Small chip at the top of the handle.
Subjects:
Pottery; glaze (coating by location) Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2024.31.2 |
