Footwarmer
1840–60
Medium
Earthenware
Dimensions
22.9 × 20.3 cm (9 × 8 in.)
Classification
hot-water bottle
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
106079
Art Historical Context
Step into the cozy world of 19th-century American domestic life with *Footwarmer*, crafted by Lyman, Fenton & Co. between 1840 and 1860. This earthenware vessel, measuring a compact 9 × 8 inches, served as a practical hot-water bottle designed to warm cold feet in bed or during long carriage rides. Produced by the Connecticut-based pottery firm, renowned for its affordable, everyday ceramics, it exemplifies the rise of American industrial manufacturing during the antebellum era. Earthenware, a low-fired clay body often glazed for durability and water resistance, was ideal for such utilitarian...