Title
Thomas Downing Oyster Jar
Creator
Date
c. 1840
Description
A Thomas Downing oyster jar (American, c. 1840) made of stoneware. The jar is cylindrical with tapered shoulders and a tall, narrow neck that flares out slightly at the lip. It has been brushed with cobalt highlights over the impressed lettering that reads: "T. DOWNING'S / PICKLED OYSTERS / NO 5 BROAD ST / NEW YORK."
This jar held pickled oysters sold by the New York oyster house of Thomas Downing (1791-1866), an African American man born to formerly enslaved parents who became a renowned restauranteur in New York City. The famous oysters of T. Downing were enjoyed by Newport's elite. Downing transformed American cuisine, turning the oyster from a humble snack into a respectable and highly fashionable food served in the dining rooms of New York, Newport, and beyond. T. Downing's son, George Thomas Downing, would become a legendary figure in Newport. The younger Downing arrived in Newport in 1846, where he established a catering company on the model of his father's oyster business to feed the growing summer colony. He later erected the Sea Girt Hotel in Newport on Bellevue Avenue (1854), the first and largest Black-owned luxury hotel in the United States.
This jar held pickled oysters sold by the New York oyster house of Thomas Downing (1791-1866), an African American man born to formerly enslaved parents who became a renowned restauranteur in New York City. The famous oysters of T. Downing were enjoyed by Newport's elite. Downing transformed American cuisine, turning the oyster from a humble snack into a respectable and highly fashionable food served in the dining rooms of New York, Newport, and beyond. T. Downing's son, George Thomas Downing, would become a legendary figure in Newport. The younger Downing arrived in Newport in 1846, where he established a catering company on the model of his father's oyster business to feed the growing summer colony. He later erected the Sea Girt Hotel in Newport on Bellevue Avenue (1854), the first and largest Black-owned luxury hotel in the United States.
Cultural Origin
American
Medium
ceramic
Extent
8.5" x 5.5"
Collection
Source
Purchase by The Preservation Society of Newport County, 2022.
Identifier
2022.3
For more information about this item, please contact its owning institution.