Antique silver plated creamer "Norseman" .... from a cruise line? or club?

Here's a picture of the "Norseman" which was owned by the Union Line of Southampton which later combined with the Castle Line to become Union-Castle Mail SS Co. She sailed on the mail service between Southampton and South African ports, usually with a call at Plymouth. The Union Line acquired her in 1866. In 1873 she was sold to West Indies and Brazil Telegraph Co and used as a cable laying ship. Damaged in a storm in 1892, and scrapped in Holland in 1898. (As mentioned above.)
My great-grandmother sailed from South Africa to Europe on her in 1871. Written on the back of my original copy of the photo: "Steamer I came to Europe in with my children September 20th - October 25 1871".
The Illustrated London News of Feb. 25, 1871 had the following mention of the ship: "The Norseman arrived at Plymouth, on Monday, from the Cape whence she started on the 19th ult. She brings nine packages of diamonds, valued at £6000, and fourteen cases of ostrich feathers, besides other goods. The Cape Parliament is to meet in April next. Diamonds of great value are still being discovered."

My great-grandmother was a wealthy lady who would have travelled in comfort; perhaps she even used this item... I'd call it a milk jug - perhaps "creamer" is an American term?

 

Jo, Hello! and thank you for your contribution to this discussion. Thank you also for sharing your photo and personal connection with the RMS Norseman. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of fourteen cases of ostrich feathers being aboard.

Milk jug ... yes, I was not familiar with that term, but my first "google" using that description brought up several very similar pieces - mostly from ships or railways. Thanks for introducing me to that more appropriate term.

 

This was during the heyday of the diamond mines at Kimberley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley,_Northern_Cape

£6000-worth of diamonds was a HUGE sum of money in 1871. All those ostrich feathers were, no doubt, to adorn the costumes of the elegant fashionable ladies of the day, they'd have been very valuable too. Of course, there were probably no ostriches outside Africa at that time.

"Ostriches were farmed for their feathers in South Africa beginning in the 19th century. According to Frank G. Carpenter, the English are credited with first taming ostriches outside Cape Town. Farmers captured baby ostriches and raised them successfully on their property, and were able to obtain a crop of feathers every seven to eight months instead of killing wild ostriches for their feathers."

I do like a back-story to antiques! (N.B. We have VERY long generations in my family, which is why my great-grandma was around such a long time ago. Most families pack in five or six generations to our three!)

 

The Victorian ladies loved their osterich feather hats.