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This sugar box served a decorative as well as a practical purpose. Sugar had been an expensive luxury beyond the means of ordinary people in the 17th century. As the output of the West Indies sugar cane plantations increased, so did the appetite for sugar. Sugar sweetened the chocolate, tea and coffee drunk by growing numbers of people. By the end of the 18th century, sugar in the cheaper liquid form of molasses and more costly "loaf sugar" had become an indispensable part of the American diet. This imported pearlware box kept the sugar it contained clean and dry. Its graceful ornamentation also hinted at the sophistication and refinement of its owner.

 

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Sugar Box

creator   Unidentified
date   1800-1820
location   England
length   6.0"
height   5.5"
process/materials   pearlware
item type   Household Goods/Food Service Tools & Equipment
accession #   #MH.F.025


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See Also...

Sugar cone

Ware Store Day Book [Vol. I]

Ware Store Day Book [Vol. II]

Mrs. Esther Williams' inventory


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