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