SPICES
Week 13 had us exploring spices, and their transformation through history. To start the week we were asked to find an interesting set of salt and pepper shakers, whether that be an image on the internet or an actual set in our homes. We were then suppose to perform a material culture analysis to decipher the history they contained. I chose a set of salt and pepper shakers that find home on my kitchen cupboard.
![Picture](/uploads/2/9/4/0/29402313/2970199.jpg)
I only wish I knew more about these salt and pepper shakers. My mother and I found them, along with a similar pair of dogs, in a drawer of a vanity at my grandma's house. My grandma said we could take them without much care or regard for them which leads me to believe they did not hold much sentimental meaning for her. Because of their beauty they are simply used only for decor in our house. It is hard to understand how intricate and ornate spice shakers used to be, while those used typically today are so simple.
After conducting what little research I could muster I discovered these shakers are from Japan, and considered "vintage". It seems they were originally sold with a toothpick holder and sugar bowl as well, although none were found to be accompanying the pair we found in my grandma's house. It seems these type of shakers are referred to as Anthropomorphic shakers. They are shakers with particularly human like characteristics, very animated, and usually colorful. They were created between 1920 and 1980. They are stamped with "Made In Japan" on the bottom. I learned that anything stamped with this phrase was either made before World War I or after World War II. Between the two World War's items would be stamped with "Made in Occupied Japan". It seems as if these particular shakers and others similar were created for the pure purpose of collecting.
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