Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology Part 4

The piece is marked "Maier & Berkley, Atlanta, Georgia, Sterling, 385,16."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 15.--CENTERPIECE GIVEN TO Adm. Winfield Scott Schley in Memphis, Tennessee, for his services in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Part of the Schley collection, gift of Mrs. R. S.

Wortley. In Division of Naval History. (Acc. 136891, cat. 39548; Smithsonian photo 45992-G.)]

Another silver cup with three handles was presented to Schley on February 5, 1902, by the Chamber of Commerce and the citizens of Knoxville, Tennessee, in recognition of his services during the Spanish-American War. This cup (cat. 39573) has the mark of the Gorham Silver Company and the words "Sterling, A 2219, 6 pints."

The silver loving cup given to Admiral Schley by the City of Dallas reflects the exuberance of the Texas donors as well as the taste of the turn of the century. It bears the following inscription:

Presented to Winfield Scott Schley, Rear Admiral, U.S.N. A token of the Affectionate Regard and Grateful Appreciation of the City of Dallas, Texas, For His Ill.u.s.trious Achievements in the Service of our Country, October 20, 1902.

This cup (cat. 39572) measures 8 inches in diameter and 21 inches in depth. The three handles terminate in eagles' heads. The design pictures a battles.h.i.+p in gold identified as the "U.S.S. Oregon," a head and laurel wreath with the words "U.S.S. Brooklyn," and an eagle and a star in a wreath for the "U.S.S. Texas." The base of the cup is decorated with three Texas longhorns with an anchor and s.h.i.+eld. It bears the marks of the Gorham Silver Company.

The fourth loving cup (cat. 39538) is made of vanadium steel rather than of silver. This too is a three-handled cup. It measures 7 inches in diameter and 12-1/2 inches in depth and is decorated with the emblem of the Masonic Order of the Mystic Shrine and the following inscriptions:

Presented to n.o.ble Winfield Scott Schley by Syria Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. November 20, 1909.

Syria

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The war with Spain is further commemorated by a silver loving cup[27]

presented to Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee, U.S.N. Sigsbee, commissioned captain in 1897, was in command of the battles.h.i.+p _Maine_ when she blew up in Havana harbor in 1898. A naval court of inquiry exonerated Sigsbee, his officers, and crew from all blame for the disaster; and the temperate judicious dispatches from Sigsbee at the time did much to temper the popular demand for immediate reprisal.

The cup bears the following inscription:

The Commercial Club of St. Paul Minn. Sends Greetings to Capt.

Charles Dwight Sigsbee who as Commander of the Auxiliary Cruiser St. Paul had a brilliant share in the Naval Exploits of the Spanish War of 1898.

May you live long and prosper.

Marks on the cup are those of the Gorham Silver Company and the words "Sterling," "Patented," and "5 pts."

Admiral Sigsbee achieved greater distinction for his services as a scientist than as a naval hero. An outstanding hydrographer, he made a deep-sea survey of the Gulf of Mexico, and from 1893 to 1897 he was chief of the Navy's hydrographic office.

FOR ARCTIC EXPLORATION

In the midst of the myriad of soldiers, sailors, and politicians who have been presented with silver through the past two centuries, we find an arctic explorer being given similar recognition at the beginning of this century. Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary was the first man to reach the North Pole, and the United States National Museum has a collection of silver presented to him in recognition of this achievement.

Peary became interested in arctic exploration as early as 1886 and discovered he had an apt.i.tude for its grueling demands on several minor expeditions to Greenland and the arctic ice cap. In 1893 he became determined to reach the North Pole, and he spent the next 15 years in unsuccessful attempts to achieve his ambition. In 1908 Peary left on another polar expedition; after a hazardous trip, he reached his goal on April 6, 1909. His victory seemed a hollow one because of the claim of a rival explorer that was finally proven spurious. In October a committee of experts appointed by the National Geographic Society supported Peary's claims, and in 1911 he was tendered the thanks of Congress.

Admiral Peary's work as an explorer had immense scientific value, as he developed a highly efficient method of exploration which has continued to be used advantageously.

Three loving cups and a replica of a s.h.i.+p in silver[28] that were presented to Peary are in the collections of the United States National Museum. Two of the cups were gifts to Peary from cities in his home state of Maine. One loving cup (cat. 12186), 10 inches high, is marked with the old English "T" of Tiffany & Company, "7072," and "5 pts." It is inscribed:

To Commodore Robert Edwin Peary, U.S.N. in recognition of his remarkable achievement in placing the flag of the United States at the North Pole, April 6, 1909. Presented September 23, 1909 by the City of Bangor, Me.

The other loving cup from Maine (cat. 12187) is 12 inches deep and bears the Tiffany "T," "7056," "Sterling," and "5-1/2 pts." The inscription reads:

Presented by the citizens of Portland, and South Portland, Maine, To Commodore Robert Edwin Peary, U.S.N. September 23, 1909 in recognition of his achievement in nailing the stars and stripes to the North Pole.

The third loving cup (cat. 12188) is 18 inches high and is marked with the lion, anchor, and "G" of the Gorham Silver Company and with "Sterling," "332A," "7 pints," and "D. Kappa Epsilon." The inscription reads:

Presented to Commodore Robert Edwin Peary, U.S.N. by the Delta Kappa Epsilon a.s.sociation of New York City, December 18, 1909.

In 1910 the Royal Scottish Geographic Society presented Admiral Peary with a silver replica of a s.h.i.+p (fig. 1) of the type used by Henry Hudson, John Davis, and William Baffin in their explorations for the Northwest Pa.s.sage. The replica, representing a s.h.i.+p under full sail, is 24 inches high and 20 inches long. The foresail bears a long inscription in Latin likening Peary to other early arctic explorers. The marks indicate the piece was made in Great Britain.

Also in the Museum's collection is a silver plaque[29] presented to Peary by the Circ.u.mnavigator's Club in New York. It bears the mark of Tiffany & Company and is inscribed:

Circ.u.mnavigator's Club Presented to the Immortal Navigator Peary on the Occasion of his presence as guest of honor at our Annual dinner held at Delmonico's New York City, the Eleventh of December, 1913. Officers: President W. Tyre Stevens, 1st V. P.

Wilson D. Lyon, 2nd V. P. W. D. Oelbermann, Treasurer, F. C.

Schulze, Sec. F. W. Hilgar, Gov. E. H. Paterson, J. H. Burch Jr., George L. Carlisle, W. G. Paschoff, C. A. Haslett, William H.

Zinn.

The bottom edge of the plaque is engraved "Tiffany & Co. Makers" and "18417 Sterling Silver."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 16.--CUP PRESENTED TO the Honorable Brand Whitlock by the British Government. Gift of Mrs. Brand Whitlock. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 137815, cat. 40028; Smithsonian photo 45992-E.)]

FOR SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR I

Of all the silver pieces in the collections of the National Museum that commemorate military prowess, the sole piece relating to World War I was presented to a man who achieved fame for his humanitarian service as a diplomat--the Honorable Brand Whitlock, who was appointed American Minister to Belgium in 1913. Whitlock came to the position with a distinguished record as four-time mayor of Toledo, Ohio, where his administration was noted for its reforms. He had insisted on a fair deal for the working man; he liberalized the administration of justice; he kept the city government free of graft; and he won a battle against the power of vested interests in the city.

After the invasion of Belgium in World War I, Whitlock remained at his post where he performed many services for the oppressed citizens. His presence in Brussels facilitated for both friend and foe the enormous task of organizing the distribution of food among the civilian population of Belgium and the occupied zone of France. In 1916 he chose to follow the Belgian Government into exile. His activities won him the lifelong affection and admiration of the people of Belgium, and after the war they showered him with evidences of their esteem. Among the many presentation medals, doc.u.ments, and miscellaneous gifts that he received is a silver loving cup (fig. 16) from the British Government.

On one side the cup bears the British coat of arms, and on the other side is inscribed:

Presented to Brand Whitlock by his Britannic Majesty's Government, 11 November 1918.

The base is marked "C & Co.," "130 Regent St., Carrington and Co., London W," and "Copy of Antique Irish 1717, 66 13, P 6610, xy P d."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 17.--PAPERWEIGHT identical to those presented by William Jennings Bryan to 30 diplomats who signed with him treaties for the investigation of all international disputes. Gift of William Jennings Bryan. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 57778, cat. 15307; Smithsonian photo 45992-C.)]

A presentation piece made of polished steel is really outside the scope of this paper, but as it has an interesting bit of diplomatic history connected with it, it has been included in the catalogue. The object is a paperweight (fig. 17) designed by William Jennings Bryan when he was Secretary of State. The weight, in the form of a plowshare, was made from swords condemned by the War Department. Thirty of these weights were given by Secretary Bryan to the diplomats who in 1914 signed with him treaties providing for the investigation of all international disputes. The shaft of the plow bears the inscription:

"Nothing is final between friends"

"Diplomacy is the art of keeping cool"

The blade is inscribed

"They shall beat their swords into plowshares"

Isaiah 2:4

On the base is engraved:

"From William Jennings Bryan to the Smithsonian Inst.i.tution, August 13, 1914"

TO MR. AND MRS. ROBERT TODD LINCOLN

Among the pieces of presentation silver acquired in 1960 by the Smithsonian Inst.i.tution is a covered urn that was given to Mr. and Mrs.