Chestnut Basket

A modern hostess may have a variety of dishes for serving her Christmas dinner. However, it’s unlikely she will have in her cupboard that useful piece of porcelain found in the late 1700s called a chestnut basket. It was used for serving those “chestnuts roasted on an open fire” when they were served at the end of a meal.

The basket was actually three pieces - a plate to protect the table top; the dish to hold the nuts; and a pierced lid through which steam could escape.

Return to Index

Special Cups Provided Egg Support

Is pocillovy your area of interest? If it is, you know you’re interested in egg cups!

Egg cups are those little holders that were, and sometimes still are, used to serve soft-boiled eggs.

The first ones appeared about 400 years ago and were made of wood. By the 18th century, they appeared in brass, pewter, silver, pottery, porcelain and papier mache.

The inside of the cup is molded to fit an egg. The outside, however, may take a variety of shapes, from something as simple as ribbed sides to novelty cups for children. (Humpty Dumpty without his head is a favorite.)

When railroad travel became popular, potters provided cheap ceramic egg cups to the dining cars. Transfer-printed scenes or advertisements decorated the sides. These mass-produced ones are fairly accessible to the collector.

Egg cups actually came in a variety of sizes. Tiny ones were made to hold bantam eggs. Giant-sized ones were necessary for goose and turkey eggs.

Egg stands were frames made of wood, pottery or silver to hold several egg cups. They sometimes incorporated a toast rack, a salt cellar or a butter dish into the design.

Return to Index

Lard Oil Lamps

By the end of the 19th century, most people were using kerosene lamps. However, in a few places, there was still a need for the lamps that burned lard oil, which could be made right on the farm or occasionally in the home.

Lard oil is a heavy yellow liquid. Its consistency was one of the drawbacks to its use, especially in cold weather when it got even thicker. It also had poor capillary action, and a lard oil lamp needed to have a short and loosely woven wick in order for the oil to be drawn through it. There were numerous versions of lamps made for burning this oil.

A “canting lamp” was one patented model for using lard oil. Made of tin, its reservoir was mounted on bearings, and tipped down as the oil level went down. It dates back to 1841.

Another version of lard oil lamp, dating to 1860, had a copper funnel above the flame. It collected heat and directed it downward to warm the oil and make it more fluid.
The two above and most other versions were made of tin.

Return to Index