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spittoon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact23694
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- HV975.5.34
- Description
- Spittoon or cuspidor. Blue enamel with white interior. Enamel is worn around the top opening.
- Object History
- This item originates from the Chinese Herbalist Store "Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Co.", Victoria B.C. which is now housed at Burnaby Village Museum. After China became a Communist state in 1949, the spittoon became much more prevalent: spittoons were placed at every conceivable public place, and were commonplace in homes as well. The mass introduction of spittoons was no doubt a public hygiene initiative, motivated by a desire to curtail the once common Chinese practice of spitting onto the floor. The spittoons used in China were typically made of white porcelain, sometimes with traditional Chinese art painted onto the exterior. The fact that there was a spittoon as part of the Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Co. Herbalist shop when they closed in the 1970s, may reflect that the practice of the people in 1970s Victoria was similar to those in China.
- Classification
- Chemical T&E
- Measurements
- 15 cm height x 18 cm width x 18 cm length
Images
