A pepper or salt shaker made out of white milkglass with a metal lid. The glass itself is in a rectangular shape and has ridges on the flat edges because the corners are rounded. The ridges provide grip and more dimension to the functional aspects of the object. On one of the sides there is a diagonal strip where the ridges are flat so a label can be attached. There used to be a label here indicating that it was either pepper or salt but the words and label are now gone. There is a little spot where the backing is still stuck to the glass. It is a dark yellow color due to age. The glass does have dirt and sticky remnants in different places. They are mostly spread out.

The cap is a silver metal that screws onto the bottle by spiral ridges. On the top there are holes for the pepper or salt to come out. Due to age and wear there are also some stains and rust on the top and in the grooves on the sides. The cap is also dented in so some of the holes go down in the center.

Paulina Franks' grandfather, John Rassogianis, came to Chicago in the 1890s. He began his life in the new city by peddling fruits and later, with the help of his sons Alex and George, would open a candy store. In the 1920s Paulina Franks' father Constantine became a part of the family business and the store was able to prosper. When the second business closed Paulina Rassogianis chose to hold as many of the candy store's items as possible and, later, donate them to the National Hellenic Museum.

The Rassogianis family began their candy business in Chicago proper, working out of their own shop named "St. Louis Ice Cream Parlor." Eventually, the shop was closed and the Rassogianis' chose to continue their candy store venture in Berwyn, Illinois. The new shop they chose to open was named Alex's Sweet Shop.

Paulina Franks' father was a key contributor to the success of the Rassogianis candy stores. While Constantine Rassogianis was a noteworthy entrepeneur, he also had many other accomplishments. Among these was his four years of involvment in the Greek national military during World War I wherein he obtained the rank of sergeant. Also, he was a published author and poet, an experienced mandolin player, a church officer and had extensive knowledge of psalti.

Salt and pepper shakers (or in the UK, salt and pepper pots) are condiment holders used in Western culture that are designed to allow diners to distribute grains of edible salt and ground peppercorns. Salt and pepper shakers can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, glass, metal, and ceramic. Salt and Pepper Shakers have a long and rich history. Before salt and pepper shakers as we know them today, people in the Victorian era placed their salt in open cellers. Salt came in rock form, and it had to be chipped off to be put on food. Early salt shakers were actually salt mills. They contained a piece inside the shaker that broke the salt into pieces. This feature may also be found in some salt shakers now. As salt production improved, salt shakers no longer needed the arm to break the salt up. These are still produced today, however, for those who prefer their salt, like their pepper, freshly ground. Salt may be a common-or-garden product to us today, but historically its high value merited a container of equal standing, as they would have been symbolic of social standing and economic status not only among families, but within a single household. It's sometime said that salt shakers were invented in 1858 by John Mason, the man who invented the screw-top Mason jar. He created a receptacle to hold salt that would evenly distribute it on food, by shaking it through several holes punched into a tin cap. This pepper shaker is of this later variety that has holes which evenly distribute the pepper since it is not fresh ground.

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