Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology Part 1

Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology.

by Margaret Brown Klapthor.

_As a social doc.u.ment, the collection of presentation pieces, mostly silver, in the United States National Museum provides evidence of the taste and craftsmans.h.i.+p in America at various periods from the mid-18th century to the 1920's._

_Although the representative items selected for ill.u.s.tration confirm the view that such pieces often lack artistic merit, the collection nevertheless reveals the deeds--in war, politics, technology, diplomacy, sports--that our forebears deemed worthy of special recognition. And it helps to bring alive some figures now submerged in our ever-expanding history._

THE AUTHOR: _Margaret Brown Klapthor is a.s.sociate curator of political history in the Smithsonian Inst.i.tution's Museum of History and Technology._

The custom of giving a piece of silver to an individual in recognition of service or in appreciation of accomplishment probably began as soon as man developed the fas.h.i.+oning of that metal into objects. Such a presentation piece was a tangible and durable form of recognition which could be appreciated, used, displayed, and enjoyed by the recipient.

Many of these silver pieces became for succeeding generations the cherished evidence of recognition accorded to an ancestor, and they were preserved long after the more customary family silver had worn out or been lost.

The Smithsonian Inst.i.tution's Museum of History and Technology has what may well be the most varied and extensive collection of such presentation pieces ever to be preserved and exhibited in one place. The collection contains the work of some of the more prominent American silversmiths, but most of the pieces are by lesser known makers and are in the collection because of historic interest rather than artistic merit. The chief usefulness of the collection lies in its value as a social doc.u.ment and in the mute evidence it gives of the taste and craftsmans.h.i.+p of the periods covered. The collection is also helpful in dating type specimens that do not have specific a.s.sociations with persons and dates. Perhaps even more interesting than the gamut of styles that the collection presents is the panorama of deeds, events, and persons that our forebears considered worthy of recognition.

Silver presentation pieces were awarded to persons in almost every walk of life--to military men, to peace-loving Indians, and to men who achieved success in politics and agriculture. They were given for sea rescues, for heroic deeds by firemen and school-patrol boys, and for outstanding community and civic work. Within our time they have been given as trophies for excellence in athletics, automobile racing, and many other events.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 2.--SNUFFBOX inlaid with mother-of-pearl and horn made around 1769 by William Cario, who worked in Portsmouth, New Hamps.h.i.+re. The box measures 2-7/8 2-1/8 1/2 inches. Bequest of Arthur Michaels. In Division of Cultural History. (Acc. 162866, cat. 383486; Smithsonian photo 36941.)]

18th-Century Pieces

Silversmiths have been making presentation pieces from the earliest days of our country, but the Smithsonian Inst.i.tution has only a few 18th-century pieces in its collection.

The earliest of these is an inlaid silver snuffbox (fig. 2) made by William Cario, who worked in Portsmouth, New Hamps.h.i.+re, about 1763. The oval box--evidently a gift to the silversmith's second wife, Lydia Croxford, whom he married in 1768--has inscribed on its base "The property of Lydia Cario" and "1769." The cover has an undersurface of horn, and the silver on the outer surface is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoise sh.e.l.l in a filigree pattern.

Many of the earliest pieces of presentation silver were made for use in churches, and they were given by groups as well as by individuals.

Representative of this type is a silver alms plate[1] with the following inscription on the rim:

The Gift of the Hon^ble THOMAS HANc.o.c.k ESQ^R to the CHURCH in Brattle Street Boston 1764.

The plate is shallow with a slightly domed center. Engraved on the flat rim, in addition to the inscription, is a crest at the top and the cherub's head at the bottom. The piece is marked by John Coburn, who lived in Boston from 1725 to 1803. Five trays matching this one are in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.[2]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 3.--MARK OF SAMUEL MINOTT and monogram of Elias Hasket Derby on silver tankard. Bequest of Arthur Michaels. In Division of Cultural History. (Acc. 162866, cat. 383545; Smithsonian photos 44828-D, 44828-F.)]

A silver tankard made by Samuel Minott, who worked in Boston from about 1765 to 1803, can be accurately placed by the account of owners.h.i.+p thoughtfully inscribed on its base by one of its later owners. The legend reads:

Richard Derby to E. S. Hasket Derby 1763 John Derby George Derby 1831 Roger Derby 1874

The tankard has a tapered, ringed body, an S-shaped handle with a plain boss at the end, a scroll thumb-piece, a flat molded drop ornament on the handle, and a domed cover with an acorn finial. On the body beneath the Derby coat of arms, is monogrammed "E H D" for Elias Hasket Derby (fig. 3). Elias Hasket Derby achieved wealth and fame as a Salem merchant prince engaged in the China trade.

Similar in design to these 18th-century pieces is a standing cup[3] or chalice with the inscription:

Presented by the Sisters of the New South Church for its communion service--January 1, 1815.

This cup, with a concave body and a bal.u.s.ter stem with a square foot, is marked "Moulton" and is in the style of Ebenezer Moulton who worked in Boston between 1768 and 1824.

19th-Century Pieces

The collections of the United States National Museum that cover the political, cultural, military, and technological history of America in the 19th century are probably without rival, and the collection of presentation silver is no exception. The recognition of military prowess by the presentation of silver objects was especially popular during this century.

FOR SERVICE IN WAR OF 1812

Some handsome pieces of silver of the federal style were given for service in the War of 1812. Historically the most important of these is a mammoth punch set (fig. 4) presented to Colonel George Armistead by the citizens of Baltimore in recognition of his services in the defense of Fort McHenry against the British attack in 1814. The service includes an oval silver tray with a handle on each end, the whole of which is supported on six winged-claw feet. The tray is 29 inches long and 22 inches wide.

The ball-shaped punch bowl, 12-1/2 inches in diameter, is supported by four eagles mounted on a round base. There is a loop handle of silver rope on each side. The bowl is an exact copy in size and design of the mortar bombs the British hurled at the fort. On one side of the bowl is the following inscription:

Presented by a number of the citizens of Baltimore to Lieutenant Colonel George Armistead for his gallant and successful defense of Fort McHenry during the bombardment by a large British Force, on the 12th and 13th September 1814 when upwards of 1500 sh.e.l.ls were thrown; 400 of which fell within the area of the Fort and some of them of the diameter of this vase.

(Note the discrepancy in the dates of the inscription. The Battle of Fort McHenry was fought on the 13th and 14th of September 1814.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 4.--PUNCH SET presented to Col. George Armistead by the citizens of Baltimore in recognition of his services in the defense of Fort McHenry against the British in 1814. Gift of Alexander Gordon, Jr., great-grandson of the recipient. In Division of Political History.

(Acc. 6642, cats. 30914-17; Smithsonian photo P-64357.)]

On the other side is engraved a view of Fort McHenry and Baltimore Harbor. The bowl is marked by Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner, silversmiths who worked in Philadelphia from 1814 to 1838. In regard to the excellence of the work of these silversmiths, there is an interesting comment in a diary of Philip Hone that is owned by the New-York Historical Society. On February 14, 1838, Hone wrote:

Fletcher and Co. are the artist who made the Clinton vases. n.o.body in this "world" of ours hereabouts can compete with them in their kind of work.[4]

In the set are ten silver cups, each 3-1/4 inches high and 3 inches in diameter. The cups have the same rounded shape as the bowl, without the loop handles, and are marked on the bottom by Andrew E. Warner, a silversmith who was working in Baltimore from 1805 until his death in 1870.

The ladle, in the same shape as the cups, is also marked by Warner.

During the defense of Fort McHenry Colonel Armistead had under him about 1,000 men, including soldiers, sailors, and volunteers. It is said he was the only man aware of the alarming fact that the powder magazine was not bombproof. During the night of September 13 the fort was under constant bombardment by the enemy, but the attack failed. Discouraged by the loss of the British general in land action, and finding that the shallow water and sunken s.h.i.+ps prevented a close approach to the city by water, the British fleet withdrew. Fort McHenry was but little damaged and loss of life was small.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 5.--TUREEN presented to Com. John Rodgers by the citizens of Baltimore for his part in the defense of the city against the British in 1814. Bequest of Gen. M. C. Meigs. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 25386, cat. 5863; Smithsonian photo P-64357-A.)]

Closely related to this punch set is a covered tureen (fig. 5) that the citizens of Baltimore gave to Commodore John Rodgers, U.S.N., for his part in the defense of Baltimore in September 1814. During the battle of North Point and the attack on Fort McHenry, the naval forces under Commodore Rodgers defended the water battery, the auxiliary forts Covington and Babc.o.c.k, and the barges of the naval flotilla.

The oval-shaped tureen is mounted on a square base that stands on four winged feet. The piece is 15 inches high. The handles at each end are supported by eagles' heads. An applied design of flying horses and winged cherub heads makes an attractive border around the edge of the tureen. The k.n.o.b on the cover of the tureen is a stylized bunch of grapes. On the inside of the bottom of the base is inscribed:

Presented by the citizens of Baltimore to Commodore John Rodgers in testimony of their sense of the important aid afforded by him in the defense of Baltimore on the 12th and 13th of Sept'^r, 1814.

This piece too bears the mark of Philadelphia silversmiths Fletcher and Gardiner.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 6.--GOLD SNUFFBOX presented to Maj. Gen. Jacob Brown by the City of New York in recognition of his services in the War of 1812. Gift of Mrs. Susan Brown Chase. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 116682, cat. 37664; Smithsonian photo 57009.)]

The gold snuffbox presented to Major General Jacob Brown by the City of New York in recognition of his services in the War of 1812 does not fall strictly within the province of this article, but it is included because it is similar to the silver pieces just described. The exterior of the box (fig. 6) is beautifully chased in a line design. The inside of the lid is inscribed as follows:

The Corporation of the City of New York to Major General Jacob Brown in testimony of the high sense they entertain of his valor and skill in defeating the British forces superior in number, at the battles of Chippewa and Bridgewater on the 5th and 25th of July, 1814.