Electroplating, an electrical means to adhere a thin layer of silver to a base metal, was patented by a Birmingham manufactory in 1840. By the late 1800s, the region was home to many firms specializing in this technique. Christopher Dresser viewed electroplating as a means to produce elegant and modern design at reasonable prices for the middle class. This ladle and the tureen it accompanies are based on simple Buddhist metalwares he observed while in Japan in 1876.