New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2006.

Lafayette Boat Salt

Manufacturer Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. (American, 1826-1888)

CultureAmerican

Dateca. 1827-1835

MediumPressed lead-formula glass

DimensionsOverall: 1 5/8 x 3 5/8 x 1 7/8 in. (4.1 x 9.2 x 4.8 cm)

InscribedMarked with "Lafayet", "Sandwich" and "B. & S. GLASS CO.".

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.4112

Not on view

DescriptionBoat shaped salt of opaque blue with some violet mottled glass. Silvery blue at the prow. Neal pattern BT8, "very rare."

Label TextBoston & Sandwich Glass Co. Sandwich, Massachusetts Lafayette Boat Salt, ca. 1827-1835 Pressed lead-formula glass Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.4112 This novelty salt probably represents the Chancellor Livingston -the steamboat that carried Lafayette on his triumphal entry into New York on August 16, 1824. The design undoubtedly derives from a Samuel Maverick print, the Landing of Lafayette, which served as a frontispiece in the book, A Complete History of the Marquis de Lafayette (New York: Lowry, 1826). The glass mold maker, having little space, replaced the name "LIVINGSTON" on the paddle box with an abbreviation - "LAFAYET." Exploiting the advertising potential, the boat is also marked "B. & S. GLASS Co." (on the stern) and "SANDWICH" (on both the inside and bottom of the hull). Available in dark blue, opaque white, mottled powder blue, or clear glass, Lafayette boat salts would have nicely complimented the blue and white, transfer-printed Landing of Lafayette service made by the English firm of J. & R. Clews, which was based on yet another Maverick print of the landing.Exhibition History"First in the Hearts of His Countrymen: America Remembers George Washington 1732-1799," Chrysler Museum of Art, Nov. 23, 1999 - Summer 2001. Published ReferencesBourne Auction Catalogue, Item #150, pg. 15, ill. L.W. & D.B. Neal, _Pressed Glass Salt Dishes of the Lacy Period, 1825-1850_, (Philadelphia: Published by the authors, 1962), 33, No. BT8.