Tumblers made of cow horn, such as this diminutive example, were a prevalent part of life in early America. These simple vessels were used to serve beer and other beverages in both homes and taverns. They were made in a variety of forms and sizes, some featuring elaborate engraved decoration or silver mounts. This unadorned tumbler, with its wooden bottom, is a more typical form.

Tumblers like this one were made by specialized craftsmen known as horners, or hornbreakers, who also made powder horns, combs, buttons, and a variety of other useful articles. The trade was a longstanding one, with the first reference to a company of horners in London appearing in 1284, though men had been active in the trade much earlier. Horners began working in America during the colonial period. As enduring as the profession was, its tools and methods remained largely unchanged into recent years. Horn softened by boiling could be easily shaped, molded, or die pressed into new forms, and further shaping required only simple shears, tongs, saws, knives, awls, and polishing equipment.