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Pewter Tankard
1700s
Putting a lid on your beer
Known as a tankard, this quart-size drinking vessel with hinged lid is made of pewter. A durable metal, pewter was less expensive than silver and less fragile than ceramic, wood, glass, and other materials used for beverage containers. In 18th-century America, tankards and the more common--and lidless--mugs, pots, and cans were used to serve hard cider, beer, and ale. This particular tankard was probably made by Swedish immigrant John Andrew Brunstrom, who arrived in Philadelphia about 1781 and plied his trade in Philadelphia's Pewter Platter Alley. Brunstrom worked in Philadelphia from 1781 until his death from the yellow fever plague in 1793.
Notes
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A bequest to the Smithsonian in 1986 from the collection of Dr. Joseph H. Kler |
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7-1/4" high |
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Engraved initials "I S" on outer bottom |
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Web display only |
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