The History Of The Butter Mold—And Why It's Making A Comeback

These days you can drive over to Publix and pick up a dozen Christmas tree-shaped butter sculptures to deck out your holiday table. Two hundred years ago, though, if someone wanted fancy butter for their dinner, they had to track down a farmer who used hand-carved molds to create show-stopping dairy displays.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, dairy farmers used prints and molds to decorate the butter they churned up each day. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, which knows quite a bit about butter thanks to the Amish, Mennonite, and Pennsylvania Dutch and German farming communities in the state, says that butter molds served an important purpose.

Why Farmers Put Their Stamp On Butter

At that time, butter and eggs were practically a form of currency for farmers, who could use them to barter for store-bought groceries, clothing, and other household goods. Farmers who prided themselves on making high-quality products wanted to mark their wares as their own and make sure they were properly compensated for their dairy-making skills. Butter molds, usually carved wooden pieces, allowed them to give their butter a unique trademark that would let consumers know they were getting the good stuff. Fresh butter was smooshed (not the technical term) into a carved wooden box or rounded dome and pressed with a decorative stamp resulting in beautiful butter. That marking process became even more important when butter was sold at local markets, instead of directly from the farmer. Consumers learned which butter they liked and thanks to the unique design, could easily pick it out on the store shelves.

American History Of Butter Molds

Throughout the years, dairy-loving farmers and craftspeople would carve the prints from boards or blocks of wood using either hand tools or lathes. Most butter molds are made of wood, but glass ones can be found, too, with fleur-de-lis or cows pressed into the glass. Patterns varied by farm and by region. According to the State Museum, Pennsylvania German farmers favored pressing their butter into tulip shapes or other images inspired by nature like birds or farm animals. While butter molding and stamping were a part of life on the farm, butter sculpting became quite the art form. For proof look no further than the butter bas relief sculpture, Dreaming Iolanthe, displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, created by Caroline Shawk Brooks, an artist who worked almost exclusively in butter.

Ancient History Of Butter Molds

Of course, American farmers were not the first people on the planet to come up with the idea of molding food into pretty shapes. As Atlas Obscura notes, "[A]rchaeologists have unearthed molds for shaping foods that date as far back as ancient Babylon." The practice of making dairy-based centerpieces became even more popular during the Renaissance and dairy farmers in Northern Europe stamped patterns in butter in the 19^th century.

Today, vintage butter molds have become popular collectibles that people scoop up at antiques fairs and flea markets. Because everything old becomes new again, fancy molded butter is also making a comeback popping up at restaurants and at dinner tables as a way to impress guests.

Where To Buy Butter Molds

Today you can find butter molds and stamps at antique stores, flea markets, estate auctions, and online retailers like eBay and Etsy. Vintage butter molds can cost anywhere from $25 to more than $200, depending on the size and condition of the mold and intricacy of the design. Whether you're looking for a simple floral shape or a pastoral scene complete with dairy cow, there's a butter mold out there for every table and occasion.