Punch Strainer
William Simpkins
1743–60
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
2.9 × 27.4 × 11.4 cm (1 1/8 × 10 3/4 × 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
utensil for serving food
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
89981
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
By the mid-18th century, fashionable society in American began to rival the gentry in Europe and England. Popular entertainment included afternoon punch, and proper equipage such as punch bowls, ladles, and strainers, which were fashioned out of silver, became a necessity for the affluent patron who wished to impress guests. Traditionally, punch was made from five ingredients: water, sugar, lemon or other fruit juices, spices, and sprits (usually rum).