Samovar

Nikolay Ivanovich Batashev (18?-1915)
Tula, Russia, ca. 1870
Brass and wood, 18 ½ x 11 x 13 ¼”
Cincinnati Skirball Museum, gift of the estates of Lily Arkowitz, Esther Arkowitz, and Elinor Sherman, 2012.1

Nikolay Ivanovich Batashev, the son and successor of Ivan Grigorevicha Batashev, was well known in Tula as a Jewish brass manufacturer and samovar manufacturer to His Imperial Highness. The samovar is an artifact that is emblematic of the American Jewish immigrant experience. Brought from the Old World to the New, this particular samovar was a valued possession chosen for the voyage from Russia to America.

This samovar belonged to Lily Arkowitz who brought it with her when she immigrated through Ellis Island in the late 1890s. After settling in Brooklyn, New York, Arkowitz gave the samovar to her daughter, Esther. It has since been passed down through multiple generations before being donated to the Skirball by Arkowitz’s great granddaughter, Carol Sherman Jones.

This samovar is remembered fondly from Carol’s childhood. She would play with it for her tea parties, though it was primarily an item on proud display in her home. In Russia, it would have been used for making tea or warming other liquids, such as soup. Hot coals and water would be placed inside the samovar, with a teapot resting on top, allowing the hot water to boil and brew the tea. A small portion of tea from the teapot and hot water from the samovar’s spout would be poured together into a glass to be enjoyed.

In addition to its role in Russian life, the samovar also evokes family stories about immigrant life in early twentieth century America. As Carol Sherman-Jones stated in an oral history about the samovar, “I wish it could talk; if it could talk it would certainly tell us a lot of stories.” Sherman-Jones goes on to describe her family’s experience in New York and New Jersey as new immigrants to the United States. In New Jersey, the family ran a saloon and her grandmother saw firsthand the importance of legal representation for the underserved. As a result, her grandmother eventually became a lawyer and women’s rights activist, defying expectations for women during this era by practicing law and taking a stand for social issues.

You can learn more about this fascinating family history by watching the oral history conducted with Sherman-Jones here:  https://youtu.be/Zq05dCq0dB4.