What was a victorian butter dish used for?

These dishes held butter on the dining table, keeping the dairy cool and protected from dust under a fitted lid. Many designs included glass liners to prevent the salt in the butter from reacting with the silver plate beneath.

How do I clean a silver plated butter dish?

Wash the glass liner in warm soapy water and dry it thoroughly before replacing it in the metal stand. Use a soft cloth and a mild silver polish on the metal portions, avoiding harsh abrasives that remove the silver plate.

How do I date a ceramic butter dish?

Examine the underside for registration marks, impressed numbers, or factory stamps that indicate the year of manufacture. Stylistic cues such as naturalistic majolica shell motifs also point toward the late nineteenth-century production dates.