Grinds Collection

Glasgow Street Scene
An electric tram grinds along Charing Cross, past a row of fruit barrows

Pounding Rice using large pestle and mortar - Chennai, India
Pounding Rice using large pestle and mortar - Chennai (Madras), India Date: circa 1920

Boatmens Children - pounding rice - India Date: circa 1910s

Shea butter production - Senegal
Shea butter preparation, baking shea tree nuts - pounding and grinding, Senegal, West Africa. The French name karite (as detailed on this card) comes from ghariti

Myanmar - Village Scene - preparing food
Myanmar - Village Scene - preparing (pounding!) food using a large pestle and mortar Date: circa 1910

Grinding Corn, Orkneys
A girl of the Orkney Islands grinds corn by hand with a stone quern Date: 1905

Crofters grinding corn, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Date: late 19th century

Pausias and Glykera, Lambertus Antonius Claessens, 1800

The tongue sharpeners, Franco Estius, 1592

Japan - Tea Industry - Tea Grinding. Date: circa 1908

China - Mule-powered Rotary grain mill - Village Community
China - Mule-powered Rotary grain mill - Rural village Community Date: circa 1910s

Japan - Women preparing food including chopping a daikon
Japan - Women preparing food including a Geisha girl preparing (cutting) daikon (white radish), possibly for takuan or bettarazuke dishes and another woman grinding foodstuffs using a pestle

Rotary hand quern for grinding corn - Palestine, Middle East. Date: circa 1920s

Mapuche Girl grinding toasted wheat - Southern Chile
Mapuche Girl grinding toasted wheat on a quern stone - Southern Chile. Date: circa 1910s

Egyptian street knife grinder - Port Said. A young boy is fascinated and has popped his head out of a small window to watch the grinder grinding away. Date: circa 1902

Pounding rice - Malabar region of Southern India
Sifting, sorting and pounding rice with a large pestle and mortar - Malabar region of southern India (lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea). Date: circa 1910s

Worker using Carlton stump grinder to remove tree stump, Whalley, Clitheroe, Lancashire, England, January

Street musicians
Three street musicians ply their trade on London Street-an old soldier grinds the organ, whilst a woman and a boy bawl out the words

India - Ghati Women Grinding Corn Date: circa 1907

Israel - Women grind corn with a handmill
Women working with a rotary quernstone handmill to grind corn - Israel - at thsi stage under Ottoman control. Date: circa 1908

Mexico - Wheat grinding, Tehuantepec
A young girl grinding wheat on a stone, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico. The girls sister and baby brother sit behind, watching this most traditional of mexican scenes

Street music: Organ grinder, c. 1900
An Italian lady grinds an organ, whilst a girl shakes a tambourine. According to the caption accompanying this picture, the babies next to the wheeled organ are sometime used as a means to draw in

Ground coffee

Rotary Quern Milling
Chinese worker grinds corn using a hand-powered rotary quern, a form of industrial machinery in use since late prehistoric times

German Domestic Scene
The daughters of the house, about to go shopping, ask papa (who has a wooden leg, doubtless won fighting the French) for money, while mama grinds the coffee

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Grinds: Uniting Cultures Through the Art of Grinding" From Glasgow's bustling streets to Chennai's rhythmic pounding, grinding is a universal language that transcends borders. In every corner of the world, communities gather around pestle and mortar, connecting through the act of transforming ingredients into nourishment. In Myanmar's serene village scene, locals come together to prepare food with utmost care. With skilled hands and ancient techniques, they grind corn to create meals that sustain their families and traditions. On the enchanting Isle of Skye in Scotland, crofters embrace their heritage by grinding corn. As they turn the millstones with reverence, they honor their ancestors' wisdom while providing sustenance for generations to come. In India's vibrant landscape, boatmen's children join forces in pounding rice. Their synchronized movements mirror not only their shared task but also symbolize unity within their community. Across Senegal’s sun-drenched plains, shea butter production becomes an art form. The rhythmic grinding motion transforms humble nuts into a precious commodity that nourishes both bodies and souls. Throughout history, artists have captured these moments of communal grinding on canvas. From Lambertus Antonius Claessens’ depiction of Pausias and Glykera engaged in this timeless practice to Franco Estius' portrayal of "The tongue sharpeners, " these artworks immortalize the significance of grinding in human existence. Traveling eastward to Japan reveals another facet of this age-old tradition – tea grinding. Within the country’s thriving tea industry lies a meticulous process where leaves are ground with precision and respect for nature’s bounty. China too embraces traditional methods as mules power rotary grain mills within village communities. This sustainable approach showcases humanity working harmoniously alongside nature while ensuring sustenance for all. Finally, we witness women in Japan preparing food with grace and skill - chopping daikon radishes amidst a symphony of flavors coming together seamlessly through precise cuts.