Cuspidor
Given their heavy use and utilitarian function, spittoons—also known as cuspidors—are rare survivals from the nineteenth century. This spittoon, made by the American Pottery Company in Jersey City, features a mottled brown Rockingham glaze. Until it was supplanted by whiteware in the second half of the nineteenth-century, Rockingham ware was the most popular. The American Pottery Company one of the first in the country to produce fine factory-molded earthenwares using English methods and emulating English styles. The company was short-lived, making this cuspidor a rare example of the firm’s products.
Artwork Details
- Title:Cuspidor
- Manufacturer:American Pottery Manufacturing Company (American, 1833–ca. 1854)
- Date:ca. 1838–45
- Geography:Made in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
- Culture:American
- Medium:Earthenware
- Dimensions:Height: 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm)
- Credit Line:The Florence I. Balasny-Barnes Collection, Gift of Florence I. Balasny-Barnes, 2008
- Object Number:2025.794.15
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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