Hello diners! Isn’t it nice to have longer days? Things are definitely getting clearer, which is a great time to explore vintage glass. Whether its pressed, depression, crystal, carnival, or one of the many other species of glass types, vintage glassware is a great way to re-use these items in our contemporary world.
I love these vintage glass celery jars and spooners. I had always believed that the were the same thing, sleuthing the topic, I realized they’re actually are two very different things. Celery jars are larger and more of a true cylinder with a flat bottom, whereas spooners are much smaller with a tapered bottom designed for teaspoons. What they do have in common is that they were both designed to reside on the buffet or side-board in the name of hospitality.
At a point in time when celery became popular, during the mid-Victorian era, the celery jars were filled with water so that cut celery could be offered to guests – most likely as a show of affluence. At the same period, tea-spoons were not included in the standard table-setting, especially when taking tea occurred at off-meal times. Spooners, the smaller version, kept the tea-spoons at the ready for tea.
Here is a look at a few celery jars and spooners…
A variety of larger celery jars.
While the traditional spooners were used for tea- or demi-tasse spoons, the celery jars are perfect for the larger knives and forks. Maybe we should start calling them knivers or forkers…oh dear…we’ll just stick with spooners.
Serving its original purpose, this little pressed-glass spooner is really cute on the coffee bar.
This one has a flat-bottom too, its a medium size so not sure if this is a celery jar or spooner.
Another pressed-glass version with the star pattern.
This little guy is pretty cute. Its on the smaller side with the hob-and -nail pattern.
These are two of my favorites.
I love this one with its trophy style.
Love the square design of this one, a bit different from the others.
There are so many varieties and so many ways to use these little vintage items. In addition to using them on a buffet line the larger ones also make great vases. Since they come in so many sizes there are tons of ways to use these:
In the bathroom: make up brushes, toothbrushes, cotton balls or Qtips
At the desk: pens or pencils of any variety. Colored pencils are ideal as the clear glass shows off the range of colors
In the kitchen: kitchen implements of all sizes, and of course flowers because you can never have enough of those. Smaller ones are ideal for tooth-picks or hors d’ouvres pics for a charcuterie board. Speaking of charcuterie boards or appetizer platters, these little spooners are ideal for longer items (i.e., spicy green beans, carrot sticks, crispy bread sticks, etc.).
A great charcuterie board or relish tray always has small items that need to be contained! Image retrieved Mar 15, 2022 from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373939575319135511/
Well, typical of March, that nice clear day has now turned into a spring storm with lots of rain and some fog rolling in…perfect for some tea. Thanks for popping by, and hope to see you back later this month when my friend and Dress the Table partner Margaret J will share some insights into all the species and varieties of vintage glass!
Until then, don’t forget to pop into the Dinners in the DR shop and pick up a unique gift, and most importantly, enjoy something beautiful! ~d
Comments