Breakfast, first meal of the day. This used to be an event surrounded with specialty foods and serving pieces. Consider the glass participants as glass collectibles:
Each place had a napkin, with a napkin holder. These might be of glass. The point of a napkin holder is to identify the napkins “owner” as napkins were not laundered after each meal. A napkin might be used for several days, until it became too soiled to be a welcome attendant at table. Having all the same napkin holders would imply such wealth as to use a napkin for only one meal, therefore the napkin holder need not identify the napkin’s user. Although still manufactured today, this would be good glass collectibles because one of each particular style/form would be sufficient, given the original intention of identification. Whole sets might be found and treasured, but such sets would not be essential.
Each place might have an egg cup, also likely to be made of glass. The cup might also have a cover made of glass to help keep the egg warm until eaten.
The plates and hot beverage cups would be of china, but there were bound to be glasses and pitchers for the morning beverages served cool. Fruit juice and milk, and probably water once the public water was safe to drink.
Also at table: salt and pepper shakers. Frequently these are made of glass, so the level of contents is plainly visible to the user. This saves useless, repetitive motion shaking when the shaker is empty. A good idea even today.
A sugar shaker, to sweeten porridge or coffee. Usually larger than the salt and pepper shakers, and matching those if bought in a set. Such a set might be hard to find all together unless newly made, and the sugar shaker is a forgotten item. So it might take some time and effort to identify and purchase matching glass salt, pepper and sugar shakers.
Jam jars, with glass spoons included to serve the preserves, had a place at the breakfast table. The lids of these jars usually have a cut out in the rim to allow the spoon to rest in the jar. I have seen new jam jars for purchase, so there must be a considerable number available, although the spoon may be missing for secondary market items. There are also jam spoons bereft of jars, and jars without lids wandering the world in search of a home and company. An interesting item to collect.
A honey jar with dipper might have a place on the breakfast table. The jar might be of glass, although the dipper usually not. For most people, honey was more accessible than refined sugar, so the honey pot made an appearance at most meals. A small glass pitcher of syrup may also be on the table, containing maple syrup or molasses.
The butter dish and cheese safe are glass collectibles that used to appear on a breakfast table.
There were probably glass serving platters and sauce boats from which each family member was served. Sausage platters, egg platters, who knows what sauces were used. The toast rack was probably of metal. (Warm toast is a modern convenience we do not properly appreciate.)
The whole scene was lit by lamps or glass candle holders, but that’s another day’s topic.
The breakfast table holds many possibilities for glass collecting. Look around your antique and second-hand stores to see what’s out there.
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