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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Gimme Some Sugar, Sugar. . . .

On this Thursday, exactly two years ago, I posted about a sugar bowl.  With the renewed threat of
flooding in our area, with heavy rain from Tropical Storm Lee, I could use a little sweetness today!  

Aesthetic Sugar Bowl, redux.
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Pssssttt.... want a little sugar? Or a lot?

Up until the Edwardian era, into the 20th century, table sugar
didn't commonly come in free-pouring granulated form,
or perfect tidy little cubes.

It came in big rugged cones or lumps or chunks
and you hacked off pieces with hammers and chisels, and
cracked those into smaller lumps with sugar snips, for use in tea and coffee.
Picture of antique sugar snips, from the New York Historical Society.
Why do I always want to say "Hysterical Society" instead?
It took a big rugged sugar bowl to handle all that hunky sugar.

And that's what I've got to show you today, provided we can call an old piece of china "rugged."


Okay, I admit it; I am addicted to making mosaics. 
This late 19th century Aesthetic movement sugar bowl belonged to my mother.


Miz Sugar is a big generous old gal with an Aesthetic-style shape, and
brown, blue and pale orange flowers and vines. A very contemporary color combination.

She tells a tale, just by being there, of how different our tastes were,
 and how different our household rituals were, a hundred years ago.


She's a big 'un. The old silver spooner next to her is the size of a
typical sugar bowl -- about half Miz Sugar's size.


Miz Sugar could totally take out that spooner.
She's clean (except for some dust, part of my belief in protective coatings on antiques)
and she has no chips or flaws, just a little wear on the transfer printing.
The painting is in excellent shape, although there is wear to the gilt.


They used long tongs to fish out chunks of sugar for coffee or tea.

When your hostess asked, "One lump or two?" she really meant lumps!
I am not sure where my mother picked up this sugar bowl, but I know it would have been in a thrifty setting; Mama was a thrifter long before somebody made up that term.  We used to just call her a cheapskate.

There is a stamp on the bottom that reads Limoges. I can't find this stamp in any listing of Limoges marks,
so I don't know which manufacturer made it.  It may be American Limoges as it doesn't say France.
although items made before late 19th century won't necessarily have that stamped.

Doesn't matter to me; it could have been made by
Bob's Pretty Good Pottery Shop and I'd still like it.
This is an odd looking stamp; it's too small to see clearly unless you enlarge it a lot
(it could not possibly be that I need stronger reading glasses, could it?).

Does anyone else see a little man in this mark?
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Thanks to Leigh of Bloggeritaville for hosting Thrifty Thursday.  Click here!

And to Suzanne of Coloradolady blog, for hosting Vintage Thingies Thursday.  Click here!

Ann at On Sutton Place is hosting Open House Party Thursday for Sherry of
No Minimalist Here, because Sherry is abroad . . . the lucky duck.  Click here!


Why not go and see what everyone else is featuring today?

I love to get comments, but if you are short of time, skip me -- I'm old news -- and instead perhaps leave one for a new blogger or one who is new to the link parties?  It's such a lovely encouragement!  -- Cass

13 comments:

  1. Oh no, not another hurricane your way!! How odd, they don't usually go up the coast that often. Hope you can stay safe and dry!!

    This post is new to me, I don't think I was following you then, so my reaction is WOW!! I never knew any of this stuff about sugar; and I certainly never knew there were big ol' sugar bowls or sugar snips. How interesting!! And the bowl is delightful! I've never seen one, I don't think. If I did I probably thought it was a small tureen, this is much more interesting. You have such neat stuff!

    And yes, I see the little man!

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  2. "Bob's Pretty Good Pottery Shop" Made me laugh! That's a place I'd like to shop!
    You just cleared up the "lump" mystery!

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  3. OK, I'll skip on by you then. Hope the rain gives you a break!

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  4. A very nice and interesting sharing of vintage things.

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  5. My mother did that as well -- she didn't have much money and didn't buy much but she loved to look and did bring home a few -- just a few -- treasures!

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  6. We used to called frugal--I like that term OK, better than dumpster diver!!! Well I really like this sugar bowl and the great history.
    Ann

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  7. Cass, Thanks for visiting my blog. You asked about my picnic basket, and I'm not sure where it is from. I got it from a vintage/antique store. I bought it because I have always wanted one and loved the color! So cool, that you have a basket that you wrote on when you were 5! It's so nice to have things that have meaning, isn't it. Love your house and blog, too!

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  8. I'd say the mistress of the house could raise a few good lumps with those tongs! I wonder if that is where the old saying Like It Or Lump It came from?;>) Great looking old sugar bowl and I definitely see the little man in there! I can't believe you called your Mom cheap!;>D xo Diana

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  9. I have always wonder one of those sugar tools. You are so lucky to have one. RC at My Old Historic House.

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  10. A little less hurricane and fire would be nice, wouldn't it?
    I love your big-girl sugar bowl - I have one too and just use a big spoon.

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  11. I am lovin' that big ole sugar tong. And the sugar bowl...awesome.
    xoxo bj

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  12. Beautiful photos...I don't have sugar snips but I have little silver tongs that came with a sugar/creamer set I inherited from my husband's grandmother. Yours is lovely. Thank you for sharing with my Open House Party!

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