DUPRS_0041 James Keiller & Son's Dundee Marmalade

DUPRS_0041 James Keiller & Son's Dundee Marmalade

James Keiller & Son's Dundee Marmalade

These are irregular, partial sherds of glazed ceramic with a white/off-white background and black lettering. On the smallest piece, the letters “KEI--” are legible and there is a leaf pattern above them. On the medium piece, the letters “--R MARMAL-- 1862 –AIN” are legible and there is also a partial leaf pattern. On the largest piece, the letters “& SON'S --DEE --ALADE” are legible and the leaf pattern appears to be in a semi-circular formation around the words. The thickness of the sherds varies due to processes of natural transformation. The glaze is worn off from most of the interior surfaces but the area with glaze intact measures 0.4cm thickness. This is the thickest area on any of the sherds. The smallest sherd measures approximately 2.5cm x 1.5cm, the medium sherd approximately 4cm x 4cm, and the largest sherd approximately 4.5cm x 5cm.

James Keiller & Son's Dundee Marmalade

Selective Surface collection, Stanley Park, Historic Chatham Township (modern Summit, New Jersey)

Drew University, Department of Anthropology, Drew University Passaic River Survey

1862-1898

Ava Valentino

Ceramic

By the 1870s, the popularity of marmalade had increased. According to the Maling Collectors' Society Newsletter, a great number of the 19th-century pots have been found all over America, from Michigan to Hawaii. Keiller & Son's would have been shipping around the world at this point, thanks to Britain's territorial power. In 1870 the sugar duty was halved and then abolished in 1874, reducing the price of marmalade manufacturing and making it more available to lower-income consumers. Because the sherds are clearly from three separate jars, it can be assumed that the marmalade was a common item in the area, or at least a kitchen staple for one household. Women who might be working in factories or simply seeking to make their household tasks easier, would increasingly be purchasing ready-made goods from grocers. The appearance of branded goods suggests the burgeoning grocery business around the turn of the century 20th century. This would agree with the estimated date being around the late 19th-early 20th century. Though these jars would have been relatively common in the area at the time, they tell a part of the bigger story of the grocery business which would have been a new and revolutionary enterprise and would grow and evolve with America's changing values over the 20th century.