Spittoons were found in many homes during the 1800s. Most potters offered them for sale. Earthenware spittoons attract less attention today than other kinds of wares do, probably because of their intended purpose as a receptacle into which people, generally adult males, could spit. This miniature example was almost certainly a sales representative's sample. The glaze is very similar to a glaze often used by Adam Bierenstihl.