Cuspidor

ca. 1838–45
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
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

Object Information
  • 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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