The Transformation of the Lobster into an Unexpected Status Symbol and a Notable Cultural Icon
On menus, the marine crustacean can reach sky-high prices: a blue lobster dish for $230 in Las Vegas, a lobster tower for almost $700 in Toronto, or a large salted egg lobster for $460 in Vietnam. High-fashion labels like Schiaparelli, Dior, Thom Browne, and Maison Margiela have all showcased its pointed claws and curved tail on their runways, with celebrities such as Zendaya, Lady Gaga, and Chloé Sevigny adopting the trend. In art, lobsters have symbolized longevity in Edo-period Japanese prints, power in Flemish paintings, and sexual organs in surrealist works.
Lobsters inhabit oceans worldwide and are highly sought after, with Asia's demand driving up its multibillion-dollar global market value, as reported by data analysis firm Markets and Research. On the New England coast, the demand and cost for this crustacean have increased significantly as lobster populations have decreased in the region's warming waters, as reported by the non-profit local media outlet Maine Public.
However, lobsters were not always considered a symbol of luxury. Online, they are often depicted as a rags-to-riches story, with the common belief that they were once food for prisoners and enslaved people in colonial America. While it is true that New England's abundant lobster resources were not highly valued by British settlers, this does not accurately reflect the full history of the creature, which has been consumed for at least 250 million years, as detailed in author Elisabeth Townsend's book "Lobster: A Global History." From the large-clawed American lobster served in buns to the coveted spiny lobster in Japan, from rock lobsters enjoyed in South Africa and Australia (mentioned by The B-52s), to langoustines, or prawns, exalted in French cuisine, lobsters have a rich and varied culinary history around the world.
According to Townsend, "The world's love affair with lobster began out of necessity." In its early history, lobsters were considered "survival fare" due to their difficulty in gathering and transportation. However, they were also revered at certain points in history, appearing on a 15th-century BC Egyptian temple and an approximately 1st-century BC mosaic floor in Pompeii. Similarly, lobster motifs on ceramics by Peru's Moche culture suggested its value within their coastal communities.
Lobsters were consumed in various ways throughout history. Their simplest preparations included boiling, smoking, or baking, common in coastal Native American communities before New England became famous for its seafood-filled clambakes. By the Middle Ages, cookbooks were advocating for dishes like spiced lobster soup, although the ingredient was expensive due to transportation costs.
As maritime trade began reshaping the world, lobster became an essential component of aristocratic feasts in Europe, showcasing the wealth and power of its host. Lobsters have been featured in still-life paintings, becoming increasingly luxurious and elaborate as the region grew richer.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Flanders, with Antwerp as its center of colonial trade, showcased this wealth through elaborate meals packed with exotic global ingredients. By reflecting this desire to accumulate an impressive array of goods, lobsters were presented as a symbol of the "wealth of the sea."
From "survival fare" to luxury
Lobster's most primitive history, spanning back to the Stone Age, regarded it as "survival fare." However, lobsters were also revered at certain points in history, including on a 15th-century BC Egyptian temple and an approximately 1st-century BC mosaic floor in Pompeii. Similarly, lobster motifs were present on ceramics by Peru's Moche culture, reflecting its value within their coastal communities.
Lobsters were consumed in various ways across different eras and regions. Its simplest form of preparation included boiling, smoking, or baking in coastal communities before New England became famous for its seafood-filled clambakes. By the Middle Ages, cookbooks were recommending dishes like spiced lobster soup, although the ingredient was expensive due to transportation costs.
As trade began reshaping the world, lobster became a key ingredient for aristocratic Europeans, offering an elaborate feast filled with exotic global ingredients to display their wealth and power. Lobsters were also presented as a symbol of the "wealth of the sea," with painters like 16th-century Flemish artist Willem Kalf incorporating them into their art to show off their abilities.
A scandalous symbol
By the surrealist movement in the mid 20th-century, lobsters gained their time in the limelight, thanks primarily to the creative partnership between Salvador Dalí and Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli.
For Schiaparelli, "felt connected to the movement because she had a lot of fantasy and whimsy in her designs." In 2022, curator Marie-Sophie Carron de la Carrière organized a show of Schiaparelli's work at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, highlighting the fashion icon's obsession with the lobster as a symbol.
In their collaboration, the lobster became a scandalous symbol of luxury and sensuality, with Schiaparelli's now-infamous "lobster dress" immortalizing the crustacean's prominent place in art and fashion history.
By the 1930s, when these two formed a friendship, the lobster was already popular in high-end dining. The era of high French cooking, known as haute cuisine, had invented elaborate ways to cook the seafood with truffles and champagne. Wealthy businessmen in New York City enjoyed it at the city's fanciest restaurants.
Now, it was the lobster's turn to enter high-fashion. Dali had already portrayed the lobster as a sexual symbol in his 1936 surrealistic artwork, "Lobster Telephone." The following year, Schiaparelli gave the lobster a new platform by designing a simple, high-waisted, off-white silk organza gown for him – one of several collaborations between the two artists. Dali's design included a lobster swooping across the fabric, with parsley scattered around it. It's said that Dali wanted to add a bit of mayonnaise, but Schiaparelli vetoed the idea.
Carron de la Carrière, pointed out the suggestive nature of the now-famous dress. With the lobster appearing twice – first traveling down the front of the dress, then up the back – she asked, "What was going on there?"
Just days before marrying Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, who had caused a scandal by giving up his crown for his tumultuous relationship with Wallis Simpson, she wore this dress in Vogue. This only fueled the highly publicized scandal, according to the curator.
Since then, the lobster has become a symbol in fashion and art history. Anna Wintour wore a similar design from Prada to an event, and Zendaya donned a skirt inspired by Schiaparelli – under the direction of Daniel Roseberry – last year. Even Bertrand Guyon, Schiaparelli's previous creative director, had redesigned the dress as a gown for the label's Spring 2017 Haute Couture collection to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the piece. With lobster now famous in both the culinary world and visual culture, its status and style are unlikely to disappear soon. However, with climate change threatening its habitat, we should pay heed and consider the lobster seriously.
In the luxury fashion world, designers like Schiaparelli and Thom Browne have incorporated the distinctive features of lobsters, such as their pointed claws and curved tails, into their runway collections, appealing to celebrities such as Zendaya and Lady Gaga. The global demand for lobster, driven in part by Asia, has elevated its market value to multibillion-dollars, making it a desirable commodity not only in high-end dining but also in high-fashion designs.
