Figure 1 is an image of a salt-glazed stoneware cooler made in Lyons, New York
between the years 1852 and 1872. It looks as it does for many reasons, including the nature of
the materials from which it was made, the techniques brought to bear on those materials, its
intended function and its place in the history of ceramics. Furthermore, these contributing
factors do not work independently within the piece, but overlap in many features