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Object Timeline
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1966 |
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2014 |
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2015 |
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2025 |
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Traveling Coffee Service Coffee Service
This is a coffee service. It was made by Gregoire et Cordonnier. It is dated 1866–1868 and we acquired it in 1966. Its medium is silver, ivory, leather. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.
Cup of Joe on the Go
Making a cup of coffee in 2014 is nothing like it’s ever been before. There are just about a thousand ways to make coffee these days in every contraption one could imagine. Whether you’re making an artisanal pour over in Williamsburg, Brooklyn or slowly dripping a pot from your beautifully crafted glass Chemex on New York’s Upper East Side, it still ends up being the same delicious caffeinated beverage it has always been.
This Traveling Coffee Service from the late 19th century was ahead of its time in many ways. What could be better than a little briefcase with all of the parts required to make a fresh pot of joe on the go? The individualized leather case has the initials “BM” engraved into it. It has designated areas for the cylindrical silver coffee pot with ivory handle that unscrews to fit into its own compartment, the burner, two covered cannisters-one for coffee and one for sugar, a knife and two spoons. The size of the pot suggests Turkish coffee, a taste that was popularized in the late 19th century. A coffee pot in a traveling set adheres to the social atmosphere that the drink inherently creates. Rudi Matthee writes in “From Coffee to Tea: Shifting Patterns of Consumption in Qajar Iran", “Coffee is no longer viewed as a mere commodity in the trade and consumer revolutions, but is now explored as an emblem and symbol of religious practice, social relations, or political change.” Today, coffee is exactly that--a representation of identity, taste, wealth and ritual. Whether you like your coffee black, or with three pumps of some holiday syrup that you paid $6.00 for, this very choice exemplifies your identity every day. You are walking around with your name brand cup or your traveling hot mug brewed just the way you like.
Aeropress, Brazilian cafezinho, Chemex, Clover, Cold Brew, Espresso Machine, Eva Solo, French Press, Instant, Melitta, Moka Pot, Percolater, Siphon/Vacuum, Stove Top Espresso, Turkish (Ibrik), Vacuum Pot, Vietnamese (Flat Drip/Ca Phe), and the standard electric machine are just a few of the many ways to crack open a bean, grind it to dust and make it into hot liquid. The appliance you choose is only part of the equation. The beans, the grinder and texture you work with, the quality of the water and the temperature you rise it to, each contribute to the final experience in your mug. Today we call it “coffee culture”, and this traveling set brings us back to where it all began. The time when you took your coffee pot with you, symbolizing the trade and travel of the beans, as well as your social status. For people who have a serious relationship with their coffee, it is not just a drink, but a way of life.
This object was
donated by
Maxime Hermanos and Mrs. Maxime Hermanos.
It is credited Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maxime Hermanos.
- Flatware, GS Army Flatware, Source Material, and Prototypes
- plastic, cardboard, foamcore, 3d-printed plastic, stamped metal, stainless steel.
- Courtesy of the designers.
- 4.2014.2
- Traveling Dressing Case Dressing Case
- wood, silk, leather, silver, glass, mother-of-pearl, brass, gold, steel.
- Gift of Danny J. H. Kauffman.
- 1984-133-1-a/c, e/i
Its dimensions are
H x W x D (case (a)): 9.7 × 24.6 × 18.2 cm (3 13/16 × 9 11/16 × 7 3/16 in.) H x W x D (coffeepot (b)): 10 × 7.9 × 6.3 cm (3 15/16 × 3 1/8 × 2 1/2 in.) H x diam. (coffeepot stand (c)): 6.5 × 5.9 cm (2 9/16 × 2 5/16 in.) L x W (coffeepot handle (d)): 8.8 × 1.6 cm (3 7/16 × 5/8 in.) H x diam. (burner body (e)): 2.9 × 5.9 cm (1 1/8 × 2 5/16 in.) H x diam. (burner lid (f)): 1 × 3 cm (3/8 × 1 3/16 in.) H x diam. (wick holder (g)): 1.7 × 2.3 cm (11/16 × 7/8 in.) H x diam. (canister (h)): 5.9 × 5.7 cm (2 5/16 × 2 1/4 in.) H x diam. (canister lid (i)): 0.9 × 5.9 cm (3/8 × 2 5/16 in.) H x diam. (canister (j)): 5.9 × 5.7 cm (2 5/16 × 2 1/4 in.) L x W (spoon (l)): 12.2 × 2.8 cm (4 13/16 × 1 1/8 in.) L x W (spoon (m)): 14.7 × 3 cm (5 13/16 × 1 3/16 in.) L x W (knife (n)): 20.3 × 1.9 cm (8 in. × 3/4 in.)
It has the following markings
On body of coffeepot (b), near handle: [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* [2] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French) On rim of lid: [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* [2] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French)* On exterior of coffeepot stand (c) foot amidst the decorative pattern: [1] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French)* On exterior of coffeepot stand (c) foot base: [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* Coffeepot handle (d): Not marked. On interior well of burner body (e): [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* [2] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French). On inside of lid (f): [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* Wick holder (g): Not marked. On exterior of canister (h) lip: [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* [2] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French). On interior of canister lid (i): [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* On exterior rim of canister lid (i): [1] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French). On exterior of canister (j) lip: [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* [2] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French). On interior of canister lid (k): [1] “G” and “C” with “& / crown / star” between letters, impressed (maker’s mark)* On exterior rim of canister lid (k): [1] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French). On bowl of spoon (l): [1] "G" and "C" with "& / crown / star" between letters, impressed (maker’s mark) [2] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French) On bowl of spoon (m): [1] "G" and "C" with "& / crown / star" between letters, impressed (maker’s mark) [2] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French) On handle of knife (n): [1] Head of Minerva framed in octagonal, impressed (standard mark, French)* On blade of knife (n): [1] "PARIS", impressed *poorly struck
Cite this object as
Traveling Coffee Service Coffee Service; Made by Gregoire et Cordonnier; France; silver, ivory, leather; H x W x D (case (a)): 9.7 × 24.6 × 18.2 cm (3 13/16 × 9 11/16 × 7 3/16 in.) H x W x D (coffeepot (b)): 10 × 7.9 × 6.3 cm (3 15/16 × 3 1/8 × 2 1/2 in.) H x diam. (coffeepot stand (c)): 6.5 × 5.9 cm (2 9/16 × 2 5/16 in.) L x W (coffeepot handle (d)): 8.8 × 1.6 cm (3 7/16 × 5/8 in.) H x diam. (burner body (e)): 2.9 × 5.9 cm (1 1/8 × 2 5/16 in.) H x diam. (burner lid (f)): 1 × 3 cm (3/8 × 1 3/16 in.) H x diam. (wick holder (g)): 1.7 × 2.3 cm (11/16 × 7/8 in.) H x diam. (canister (h)): 5.9 × 5.7 cm (2 5/16 × 2 1/4 in.) H x diam. (canister lid (i)): 0.9 × 5.9 cm (3/8 × 2 5/16 in.) H x diam. (canister (j)): 5.9 × 5.7 cm (2 5/16 × 2 1/4 in.) L x W (spoon (l)): 12.2 × 2.8 cm (4 13/16 × 1 1/8 in.) L x W (spoon (m)): 14.7 × 3 cm (5 13/16 × 1 3/16 in.) L x W (knife (n)): 20.3 × 1.9 cm (8 in. × 3/4 in.); Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maxime Hermanos; 1966-6-3-a/n
