The saltcellar’s heyday came in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the silhouettes mirrored fanciful European styles. Etiquette of the time required that saltcellars be within an elbow’s-length reach and at least one dispenser sit between guests, spawning a boom in production. But their popularity declined in 1911, when Morton Salt added an ingredient to keep table salt free of lumps. That’s when saltshakers with a perforated lid took center stage.
