Artist/Maker
Whiting Manufacturing Co.
(active 1866 - 1926)
Spoon
ca. 1899
Place madeNewark, New Jersey
Silver
Overall: 5 7/8 x 1 1/4 x 5/8 in. (14.9 x 3.2 x 1.6 cm)
Gift of Roberta Gratz
2009.28.106
This spoon is part of a collection of 407 New York-themed spoons donated by journalist and urban critic Roberta Brandes Gratz in 2009. During the 1880s, American travelers began collecting spoons in earnest as souvenirs of European cities. Anticipating a demand for American souvenir flatware, a few savvy U.S. manufacturers began patenting designs around 1889. New York City subjects appeared on spoons almost immediately. Gorham became the first major factory to produce New York City spoons, joining the craze in 1891. By 1893, Tiffany & Co. offered eighteen different souvenir spoons featuring New York City landmarks at prices ranging from $2 to $5.
DescriptionSterling silver souvenir spoon; on obverse of handle, from finial to bowl, Seal of New York City, male figure in seventeenth-century Dutch clothing with long pipe seated on chair, and the words "NIEU AMSTERDAM" below, all in relief; on bowl, engraved view of “BROOKLYN BRIDGE NEW YORK”; on reverse, foliage in relief.MarkingsIn relief: on reverse: "W" [in shield held by Chimera in square] / "STERLING" [in square]
ClassificationsSILVER
