Commemorative Mug. A mystery surrounds
this humorous stoneware mug, one of four owned by the Pioneer Memorial
Museum that purports to commemorate the Pioneer Jubilee. The glazed, cream
colored mug appears to be designed and made by Pabst (Brewing Company) of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Decorated with two shields, one showing a portrait
of Brigham Young, and the other the Utah beehive with the date "September
9, 1850" (interestingly, the day California was admitted as a state by
President Millard Fillmore). The cup is marked with a circular trademark
saying "Pabst Milwaukee" surrounding a plant under the letter "B." The
exact history of the production of the mug remains elusive. In the 1890s,
Pabst beer was widely advertised and distributed in the American West
(thanks to the new railroad), yet Pabst Brewing Company claims the name
and trademark were used on the mug without company consent. Was the maker
genuine in their attempt to commemorate the primarily L.D.S. celebration,
or was someone poking fun at the Word of Wisdom tenant (the Mormon
instruction to avoid alcoholic beverages, which was gaining significant
influence by 1896)? This example was owned by a pioneer of 1849, Charles
Alma Berry of Springville, Utah. Berry considered the mug a treasured
possession and "drank milk from it at every meal."
(Accession
#9880; dimensions: 4" high x 3.5" diam.; donor: Hepsy Burch) |
2005-
2011,
International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers. All rights
reserved.