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Read Ebook: Useful Knowledge: Volume 3. Animals Or a familiar account of the various productions of nature by Bingley William
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Ebook has 536 lines and 99388 words, and 11 pages
Transcriber's note:
Superscripted test is preceded by a carat character, such as 2^nd.
Text in italics is enclosed by underscores .
Text in bold face is enclosed by equal signs .
A more detailed transcriber's note is at the end of the e-book.
Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology: Paper 47--
PRESENTATION PIECES IN THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY
MARGARET BROWN KLAPTHOR
Miniature ship presented to Adm. Robert E. Peary 81
Snuffbox inlaid with mother-of-pearl and horn made around 1769 83
Mark of Samuel Minott and monogram of Elias Hasket Derby on silver tankard 83
Punch set presented to Col. George Armistead 85
Tureen presented to Com. John Rodgers 87
Gold snuffbox presented to Maj. Gen. Jacob Brown 88
Peace pipe presented to the Delaware Indians by Gen. William Henry Harrison 89
Silver service given to Maj. Gen. John Hatch 90
Silver service presented to Gen. Judson Kilpatrick 92
Silver service presented to Mrs. Abraham Lincoln 93
Teakettle and stand given to Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs 93
Gold box presented to Cyrus W. Field 95
Silver-mounted tankard presented to Cyrus W. Field 95
Tray and saltcellar in shape of chair presented to Gustavus Vasa Fox 97
Centerpiece given to Adm. Winfield Scott Schley 101
Cup presented to the Honorable Brand Whitlock 103
Paperweight identical to those presented by William Jennings Bryan 103
Cup given to Susan B. Anthony 105
Belt given to H. W. Higham 107
The Vanderbilt Cup 107
Trowel used by President Ulysses S. Grant 108
Margaret Brown Klapthor
Presentation Pieces In the 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 fashioning 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 Institution'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 document and in the mute evidence it gives of the taste and craftsmanship of the periods covered. The collection is also helpful in dating type specimens that do not have specific associations 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.
Silversmiths have been making presentation pieces from the earliest days of our country, but the Smithsonian Institution has only a few 18th-century pieces in its collection.
The earliest of these is an inlaid silver snuffbox made by William Cario, who worked in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 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 shell 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 with the following inscription on the rim:
The Gift of the Hon^ble THOMAS HANCOCK 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.
A silver tankard made by Samuel Minott, who worked in Boston from about 1765 to 1803, can be accurately placed by the account of ownership 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 . 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 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 baluster stem with a square foot, is marked "Moulton" and is in the style of Ebenezer Moulton who worked in Boston between 1768 and 1824.
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 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 shells were thrown; 400 of which fell within the area of the Fort and some of them of the diameter of this vase.
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:
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