Collection
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Decorative Arts and Design

Magic Dinner Caster

R. Gleason & Sons

1 of 2

Object Label

Silver objects had long been cherished as status symbols because they were made out of the same silver that was used for coinage. By the mid-nineteenth century, the new technology of electroplating provided the appearance of silver at a fraction of the cost.

The Industrial Revolution created a fascination with novelty objects made for the middle class, such as the “magic caster,” patented by Edward Gleason in 1856. The turn of a knob rotates the niches to reveal bottles for condiments such as mustard, ketchup, and pepper.

Caption

R. Gleason & Sons. Magic Dinner Caster, Patented December 1, 1857. Silverplate, colorless glass, 17 x 9 1/8 x 9 1/8 in. (43.2 x 23.2 x 23.2 cm) 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (11.4 x 3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, H. Randolph Lever Fund, 87.175.1-.7a-b. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Magic Dinner Caster

Date

Patented December 1, 1857

Medium

Silverplate, colorless glass

Classification

Food/Drink

Dimensions

17 x 9 1/8 x 9 1/8 in. (43.2 x 23.2 x 23.2 cm) 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (11.4 x 3.8 cm)

Signatures

no signature

Inscriptions

no inscriptions

Markings

embossed on one of six panels: "PATENTED DEC. 1 1857"

Credit Line

H. Randolph Lever Fund

Accession Number

87.175.1-.7a-b

Frequent Art Questions

  • I own many silver holloware pieces, but I have never seen anything like this!

    Yes, that's such an interesting piece! When the knob was turned, those niches would open to reveal condiment bottles. I love that it's called a "magic" dinner caster, the word magic makes it seem so special!

  • What is this?

    That is a magic caster! One is the object itself, and the other is a patent model that was submitted to the US Government by the manufacturer, R. Gleason & Sons, for a patent. This would be placed on a dinner table and when the knob at the top was rotated, it would spin and reveal condiment bottles in those little openings!

  • Why is the magic dinner caster made of silver plate?

    Silver plate was an innovation in the late 18th century. It allowed for objects that looked like they were pure silver, which was very expensive, but could be purchased by middle class people. Because of this, affordable silver plate objects became very popular.

Have information?

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Artists and makers

R. Gleason & Sons

2 works in the collection