19th Century Victorian Transferware Cherry Toothpaste Pot Lid, Unusual Square Lid

Among these 19th century transfer ware pots, the most popular commodity sold was toothpaste, with areca nut and cherry toothpastes being the most popular. It is interesting to note that cherry was limited to color, resulting from the addition of carmine to the areca nut flavored paste, rather than an actual cherry flavour or taste.

Tooth cleaning first become a hygenic standard in 18th century England, primarily for the upper classes, and was accomplished with a variety of tools. Tooth paste began appearing in the 19th century, and was marketed in these beautiful little pots beginning in the 1880s, when nearly every chemist or pharmacist would formulate his own recipe and print their own pots for advertising. 


Betel Nut or Areca Nut was a highly popular formulation which cleaned the teeth with a mild abrasive action (somewhat amusingly, Areca Nut is also an effective deworming agent). 
The pot lid was made in England and is transfer printed in black.

A highly unusual square lid design which is an excellent example of late Victorian advertising and porcelain manufacturing. The lettering and graphics applied to these paste pots now provide stunning examples of Victorian utilitarianism and insight into 19th century daily life, as well as people’s needs and aspirations at the time.


Price marked at AUD$300.
Measurements: 6 x 6 cm square lid, 5 cm high

Good antique condition. These pots are often chipped from use and/or found buried in mud. This is one of the better examples we have found, with some wear to the lid as pictured. Two tiny hairline cracks to the lid corners which look to have occurred during manufacturing.