Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology Part 3

The inside of the stem is marked with the lion, anchor, and "G" of the Gorham Silver Company, the word "coin," and the figure "8."

When Dr. Lilly left India in 1862 he was given a silver pitcher and a silver tray.[19] The pitcher (13 inches high and 7-1/2 inches in diameter) has a tall, slender neck with a decided downturn to the pouring lip and a hinged lid with a thistle flower as a k.n.o.b. The neck is engraved on each side with a design of grape leaves and grapes. The bowl of the pitcher has eight panels embossed with scrolls of vines and flowers. Both the tray and the pitcher are marked "Allen and Hayes." One side is engraved:

To the Hon. Samuel Lilly, M.D.

The other side is engraved:

By the American Merchants in Calcutta July 1862.

The silver tray (18 inches in diameter) has a scroll-leaf and flower design in relief around the edge. The scroll-leaf design is repeated on the surface. The tray is inscribed as follows:

Presented to the Hon. Samuel Lilly M.D. by the American Merchants Resident in Calcutta as a token of regard and acknowledgment of the creditable manner with which he has upheld the dignity of the office and executed the duties appertaining to the post of Consul-General of the United States of America in British India, Calcutta, July 4th, 1862.

American interest in European affairs, considerably increased by the middle of the century, is also reflected in the collection. In 1866 the life of the Czar of Russia was saved from a Nihilist's bullet by the brave action of one of the serfs who had recently been emanc.i.p.ated by royal decree. Czar Alexander II was well liked by his own people and was regarded as an enlightened ruler by the other nations of the West. He was especially respected in the United States because of the open support he gave to the Union side during the Civil War. His escape from death was a cause for official rejoicing in this country, and the Congress of the United States pa.s.sed a resolution of congratulations on the deliverance of the life of the Czar and commissioned Gustavus Vasa Fox, a.s.sistant Secretary of the Navy, to deliver it to the Czar. Fox set out for Europe in one of the newly designed Monitor s.h.i.+ps that had proved so effective in naval fighting during the Civil War. His Monitor was escorted by other s.h.i.+ps of the fleet with a large delegation of naval officers. The party was greeted by the Russians with great acclaim, and it was showered with gifts and honors. Many of the interesting items given to Fox personally were bequeathed to the United States National Museum by his widow, Mrs. V. L. W. Fox (accession 50021, Division of Political History). Among these objects are a silver tray (fig. 14), a silver saltcellar in the shape of a chair (fig. 14), and a gold snuffbox.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 14.--TRAY AND SALTCELLAR in shape of chair that were among items presented to Gustavus Vasa Fox on his visit to Russia in 1866. The tray measures 24 15 1-1/2 inches, and the saltcellar is 3-5/8 inches high, 4-9/10 inches long, and 2-3/4 inches wide. They were made by Sazkoff, St. Petersburg, 1863. Bequest of Mrs. V. L. W. Fox. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 50021, cats. 11267, 11263; Smithsonian photos 45602-A, 45602-H.)]

The tray and saltcellar were presented to Fox on the estate of Prince Galitzine, one of the wealthiest members of the Russian n.o.bility. These two items bear the marks of a Russian maker and are engraved "July 5, 1864," which date marked the coming-of-age of the Prince. On August 26, shortly after the American delegation arrived in Russia, Fox and his party drove to the beautiful Galitzine estate, about 12 miles from Moscow. The members of the party were met by the Prince and went with him to a part of the park where a deputation of peasants awaited them.

Leader of the peasant group was the mayor of the neighboring village, an emanc.i.p.ated serf, who presented Fox with bread and salt--traditional symbols of Russian hospitality--on a silver salver and said:

We wish to tell the envoy that we are come to congratulate him on his arrival, and to present him with bread and salt and also to say that we love him, and that we shall remember the love of his people for our country and our sovereign.[20]

Two days later, on August 28, Fox met Prince Gortchakoff by appointment at the foreign office. After various complimentary allusions to the manner in which Mr. Fox had performed the delicate duties entrusted to him by his government, the Prince, in the name of the Emperor, presented a gold snuffbox set with diamonds.[21] The box, exquisitely chased, had the Emperor's miniature on the top surrounded by 26 diamonds. Six larger diamonds were set three on each side at equal distances from the inner circle. The Emperor was pictured in full military uniform with various orders on his breast.[22] The snuffbox minus its decorations is part of the Gustavus Vasa Fox collection in the Museum. The precious stones on the lid and the miniature in the center were bequeathed by Mrs. Fox to various members of the family when the box (cat. 11268) was willed to the Museum.

A large and elaborate silver vase was presented by the members of the U.S. Life-Saving Service to Mrs. Samuel S. c.o.x in honor of the outstanding work of her husband, who as a congressman supported various bills for the improvement of the Service. Mr. c.o.x served as Congressman for 20 years, first from Ohio and later from New York State. He died in New York City in 1889. Two years later General Superintendent S. I.

Kimball, in behalf of a committee representing the Service, presented the vase to Mrs. c.o.x. The ceremony took place at Mrs. c.o.x's home in Was.h.i.+ngton on December 12, 1891, in the presence of a gathering of relatives and friends.

The vase[23] is 2 feet tall and 2 feet 1 inch in diameter; it weighs almost 8 pounds. Its design was selected by a subcommittee appointed by the Life-Saving Service, and the job was awarded to the Gorham Silver Company. The chasing is entirely the work of one man. The base of the vase has a design of cl.u.s.ters of acorns and oak leaves, and above these are dolphins sporting in billowing waves. The body of the vase begins with wide flutings between the tops of which are sh.e.l.ls and seaweed.

These are surrounded by a ring of marine cable. On the front, a scene represents the lifesavers at work. In perspective some distance out, where the sea rises in mountainous waves, there is a wrecked vessel, and in the foreground lifesavers are carrying the rescued to the beach. The ornamentation that covers the top of the body of the vase consists of a cable net in which are starfish, seaweed, and other marine flora and fauna. A ledge formed by a s.h.i.+p's chain surmounts the net, and above this is a profile of Mr. c.o.x circled with laurel. A lifebuoy crossed with a boat hook and oar ornaments the other side. Handles at the sides are two mermaids who with bowed heads and curved bodies hold in their upraised hands sea plants growing from the side of the top of the vase.

The mermaids are the only portion of the ornamentation that was cast.

The vase is inscribed as follows:

This Memorial Vase is presented to _Mrs. Samuel S. c.o.x_ by the members of _The Life-Saving Service of the United States_ in Grateful Remembrance of the tireless and successful efforts of her Distinguished husband _The Honorable Samuel Sullivan c.o.x_ to promote the interests and advance the efficiency and glory of the Life-Saving Service.

He was its early and constant friend; Its earnest and eloquent advocate; Its fearless and faithful Champion.

I have spent the best part of my life in the public service; most of it has been like writing in water. The reminiscences of party wrangling and political strife seem to me like nebulae of the past, without form and almost void. But what little I have accomplished in connection with this Life-Saving Service is compensation "sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb." It is its own exceeding great reward.[24]

Tangible evidence of the increased role that the United States was beginning to play in international affairs is a silver pitcher and salver[25] presented to Judge George S. Batch.e.l.ler in appreciation of his services as president of the International Postal Congress, which was held in Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., in 1897. Judge Batch.e.l.ler's international career began when President Ulysses Grant appointed him as the U.S. judge in the newly created International Tribunal for legal administration of Egypt. The Tribunal had jurisdiction in cases between foreigners of different nationalities and also in cases of foreigners versus Egyptians. Batch.e.l.ler later served as minister to Portugal and then as manager of European interests for various American companies.

The International Postal Congress presented Judge Batch.e.l.ler, its presiding officer, with a handsome urn-shaped pitcher with the following inscription engraved on the center front:

Le Congres postal de Was.h.i.+ngton a son President le General George S. Batch.e.l.ler Juin 1897.

The pitcher, 14-1/4 inches high, is marked inside the base "Galt & Bros., Sterling, 925--0--1879, 277, 7-1/2 pts." The "925" is circled, and the date is boxed. Accompanying the pitcher is a silver tray with the monogram "G S B" in script in the center. The tray is marked on the back with an eagle in a circle to the left, an "A" in a s.h.i.+eld in the center, and a hammer and sickle in a circle to the right (an unidentified mark).

20th-Century Pieces

FOR SERVICE IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

One of the most controversial figures of the Spanish-American War is represented in the Museum's collection of some of the silver that was presented to Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley.[26] Schley became a national hero primarily because of his genial personality, and he was acclaimed and supported by the ma.s.ses of the American public even while his claims to fame were being challenged by his colleagues.

Admiral Schley had already had a long and ill.u.s.trious naval career before the outbreak of the war with Spain. After his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1860, he served on board the frigate _Niagara_ when it was detailed to bring to the United States the first representatives from j.a.pan to this country. As a junior naval officer he took part in the Civil War engagements leading up to the capture of Port Hudson. Then followed a period with sea duty and alternate posts ash.o.r.e at the Naval Academy and elsewhere. During this period he took part in the capture of some Korean forts in 1871, and later he commanded the relief expedition that rescued the Arctic explorer Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greeley and six of his companions near Cape Sabine, when they were near death, and brought them safely home after a perilous voyage through 1,400 miles of ice.

The controversial period of Schley's career began with his appointment to command the Flying Squadron, stationed at Hampton Roads at the opening of the Spanish-American War, with the arrangement that should his squadron operate with the Atlantic Squadron in the West Indies, he would be under its senior officer, William T. Sampson. Since Sampson was junior to Schley in rank, this led to the famous Sampson-Schley controversy of the war. Despite his orders to blockade Santiago immediately, Schley took his time getting there with his squadron, and then he failed to establish a close blockade. During the month-long blockade in which the two squadrons were joined, matters were strained between the commands. Sampson was in conference about seven miles east of Santiago when the Spanish fleet finally emerged from the harbor.

Schley immediately seized full command of the battle despite Sampson's proximity and his prompt return to action.

The press, probably influenced by his likable personality, made a hero of Schley, but his fellow naval officers felt differently. A court of inquiry held in 1901 found Schley to be at fault, but despite this decision he retained his public popularity, a tribute to his affability and bluff, hearty manner.

The many pieces in the Museum's collection of presentation silver given to Schley not only attest the recipient's popularity but seem to express the poor taste, debased design, and stereotyped workmans.h.i.+p that was characteristic at the beginning of the 20th century.

Not just one presentation piece but an entire silver service was made from Spanish coins recovered from the _Cristobal Colon_ that was sunk at Santiago. The original service consisted of 69 pieces, of which the Museum has the table centerpiece, soup tureen and ladle, fish platter, and a vegetable dish (cat. 39554).

The centerpiece, measuring 14 by 30 by 8 inches, is designed with a circular base holding four cla.s.sical female figures. On each side of the base is a shallow silver dish shaped like a seash.e.l.l and supported by dolphins. A s.h.i.+eld on one side of the base bears the following inscription:

This service made of Spanish coins recovered from the _Cristobal Colon_ sunk in the battle off Santiago de Cuba July 3, 1898 is presented to Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley by his friends in loving appreciation of his heroic services to his country.

An eagle ornaments the opposite side of the base.

The covered oval soup tureen (7 inches by 13-1/4 inches; cat. 39555) bears the same inscription as the centerpiece and is marked "S. Kirk & Son Co." The cover, monogrammed "W S S," has a rather effective design of overlapped laurel leaves with cl.u.s.ters of berries. The ladle (14 inches long; cat. 39556) is monogrammed "W S S" on the bowl (4 inches in diameter), and it has the same design as the tureen.

The fish platter (25 inches by 13 inches; cat. 39557) is similar to the tureen in design. The oval vegetable dish (11 inches by 15-1/4 inches; cat. 39558) is also similar and is inscribed the same way, including the mark of "S. Kirk & Son Co."

An elaborate silver centerpiece given to Admiral Schley in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1902 consists of a bowl, vase, and candelabra made to be fitted into one unit (fig. 15). The large bowl (20 inches by 6 inches) is chased in marine designs and bears the following inscriptions:

Presented to Winfield Scott Schley, Admiral U.S.N. in recognition of his services in destroying the Spanish Fleet off Santiago de Cuba, July 3, 1898.

Twenty-thousand American citizens join in honoring valor, fidelity to duty and a lofty generosity that exemplified the sublimest manhood. Memphis, Tennessee, April 28, 1902.

There is glory enough for All.

The silver vase (32 inches high) is made to fit into the bowl, and it has a portrait of Admiral Schley on one side and a picture of his flags.h.i.+p, the _Brooklyn_, on the other. Each end of the bowl is fitted with a socket to hold a three-branch silver candelabra, and there are two solid blocks of silver for insertion in the sockets when the candelabra are not being used. These pieces are marked "Sterling" but no maker's mark is visible.

A silver card (cat. 39518), measuring 3-1/4 inches by 5-1/2 inches, that was presented to Schley at a dinner given in his honor is engraved as follows:

Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, U.S.N. The Commercial club of Kansas City, Mo., November 19, 1902.

The turn of the century marks the beginning of the popularity of loving cups as presentation pieces. There are four loving cups in the Admiral Schley collection.

The earliest of these cups bears the following inscription:

Presented to Rear Admiral W. S. Schley by the citizens of Atlanta Georgia, November 4, 1899.

This cup (cat. 39571), 9 inches in diameter and 14-1/2 inches in depth, is shaped like a vase and is decorated with a scroll design. Each of its three handles is attached to the cup with two applied silver oak leaves.