Material Culture:

Material culture refers to the physical objects, materials and spaces that people use to define their culture. This also includes furniture, artwork, buildings, and tools.

First look observations:

When I first look at this object, I thought it was a side table but when I take a closer look at it, I noticed that some have a lid to them and others have little indents with a little pool in the middle. The height is also a little confusing, it is very hard to tell the correct height at first glance. It also has very different styles, adapting to the culture around it.

When I look closer to the object and make my predictions, I believe it is either a cigarette/ash tray or a Purificator.

I believe it is from the Victorian (A.D. 1840- 1910) era and began to adapt as the years went on.

What it actually is:

This mystery object is called an ash tray. It seems that I was correct with one of my guesses.

The ash tray is often associated with the Art Deco and Mid- Century Modern eras. Ash trays became more popular as smoking became more popular.

These types of ash trays were made from materials such as chrome, steel, wood, and onyx.