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diff --git a/29234.txt b/29234.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a79bbbd --- /dev/null +++ b/29234.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2317 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History +and Technology, by Margaret Brown Klapthor + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology + Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Paper No. 47 [Smithsonian Institution] + + +Author: Margaret Brown Klapthor + + + +Release Date: June 25, 2009 [eBook #29234] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRESENTATION PIECES IN THE MUSEUM +OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY*** + + +E-text prepared by Chris Curnow, Katherine Ward, Joseph Cooper, and the +Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team +(http://www.pgdp.net) + + + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 29234-h.htm or 29234-h.zip: + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29234/29234-h/29234-h.htm) + or + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29234/29234-h.zip) + + +Transcriber's note: + + Superscripted test is preceded by a carat character, + such as 2^nd. + + Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). + + Text in bold face is enclosed by equal signs (=bold=). + + 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 + +by + +MARGARET BROWN KLAPTHOR + + + + + + + +18TH-CENTURY PIECES 84 +19TH-CENTURY PIECES 85 +20TH-CENTURY PIECES 99 + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + PAGE + + 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 + + + + +[Illustration: Figure 1.--MINIATURE SHIP presented to Adm. Robert E. +Peary by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Loan of Robert E. +Peary. In Division of Naval History. (Acc. 52878, cat. 12185; Smithsonian +photo 45992.)] + + + + +Margaret Brown Klapthor + +Presentation Pieces +In the Museum of History and Technology + +_As a social document, the collection of presentation pieces, mostly +silver, in the United States National Museum provides evidence of the +taste and craftsmanship in America at various periods from the mid-18th +century to the 1920's._ + +_Although the representative items selected for illustration 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 associate curator of political +history in the Smithsonian Institution'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 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. + + + + +[Illustration: Figure 2.--SNUFFBOX inlaid with mother-of-pearl and horn +made around 1769 by William Cario, who worked in Portsmouth, New +Hampshire. The box measures 2-7/8 x 2-1/8 x 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 Institution 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 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[1] 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.[2] + +[Illustration: 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 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 +(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 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. + + + + +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 shells 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.) + +[Illustration: 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. Nobody + 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 ships 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. + +[Illustration: 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 Babcock, 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 knob 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. + +[Illustration: 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. + + +FOR PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP + +Unusual in the Museum's collection of presentation silver is the treaty +pipe (fig. 7) formally presented to the Delaware Indians in 1814 by +General William Henry Harrison at the conclusion of the second Treaty of +Greenville. + +The treaty was intended to commit the Indians to active resistance in +the American cause during the War of 1812. General Harrison and Lewis +Cass had been appointed commissioners by the U.S. Government to +conclude the treaty. On July 8, 1814, General Harrison read to the +Indians a message from the President of the United States, and afterward +he presented to the Wyandotte, Delaware, and Shawnee Indian tribes large +silver pipes elegantly ornamented and engraved with emblems signifying +the protection and friendship of the United States.[5] + +[Illustration: Figure 7.--PEACE PIPE presented to the Delaware Indians by +Gen. William Henry Harrison in 1814. Bequest of Victor J. Evans. In +Bureau of American Ethnology. (Acc. 113604, cat. 362061; Smithsonian +photos 44571, 44571-A.)] + +The pipe presented to the Delaware Indians has an urn-shaped bowl with a +bead-edged cover bearing acanthus-leaf decorations. The S-shaped stem is +21 inches long and only one-fourth inch in diameter. The great length of +the stem was necessary to cool the smoke; the S-shape added rigidity to +the silver. The piece undoubtedly is the work of a competent craftsman +but it bears no identifying mark.[6] + +Although not exactly a pipe of peace, another pipe in the collections of +the Museum represents a gesture of friendship between nations. It is a +meerschaum pipe[7] with a silver lid on the bowl and with a silver +mouthpiece. The lid bears this inscription: + + This pipe was presented to Sir Frederick Hankey by the Grand + Vizier of Turkey at Constantinople in the year 1830 and to Thomas + Hankey Esq^re by the Daughter of Sir Frederick and by him to + Charles Alexander Esq^re 9th March, 1873. + +The only information that has been obtained about Hankey is that he held +an official position as Chief Secretary of Malta for the British +Government. + + +FOR POLITICS + +In 1838 the Whig Young Men of New York City presented to Robert Charles +Wetmore a pair of large, ornate, silver pitchers[8] inscribed: + + To Robert Charles Wetmore their late Chairman from the General + Committee of Whig Young Men of the City of New York a Memorial of + political fellowship, a token of personal esteem and a tribute of + patriotic service 1838. + +The bases of the pitchers are engraved: + + Presented to Chas Fredk Wetmore by his father, January 1st, 1840. + +These pitchers were made by Geradus Boyce, a New York silversmith who +worked in the first half of the 19th century. + + +FOR SERVICE IN THE MEXICAN, CIVIL, AND INDIAN WARS + +Most of these pieces, like the pitchers mentioned above, are not as +pleasing aesthetically as the earlier ones, and they are much more +closely allied with the exuberance of the Victorian era than they are +with the classical lines of the Federal period. + +A large, elaborate vase[9] with two handles and a cover was presented to +Major General Silas Casey, U.S.A., in recognition of his services during +the Mexican War. The vase is inscribed: + + To Capt. Silas Casey, 2 inf. U.S.A. For his bravery and skill at + Contreras, Churubusco and other battles of Mexico; for his gallant + leading of the storming party of Regulars at Chapultepec where he + was severely wounded. The gift of citizens of his native town and + others, E. Greenwich, Rhode Island, August 1848. + +The vase is marked on the bottom with box-enclosed letters "G & H" and +"1848." The letters probably refer to Gale and Hughes, New York +silversmiths, or perhaps to Gale and Hayden, who were in business about +the same time. + +Casey, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, received votes of thanks +from the Rhode Island legislature for his services in both the Mexican +and Civil Wars. + +Lieutenant Colonel John Bankhead Magruder was given a silver pitcher by +his friends in Baltimore for his Mexican War service. The pitcher[10] is +urn-shaped, has a long, narrow neck, and stands on a tall base. The +entire pitcher is elaborate repousse in a design of roses, sunflowers, +and grapes. An arched and turreted castle is depicted on each side, and +on the center front is the inscription: + + Presented to Lt. Col. J. Bankhead Magruder by his Baltimore + friends as a token of their appreciation of his Meritorious + Services in the Mexican War, October 16, 1849. + +On the inside of the base are the marks "S. Kirk & Son" and "11 oz." + +Magruder graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1830, and his +military career encompassed service under three flags within a period of +35 years. In the Mexican War he was brevetted major for gallantry at +Cerro Gordo and lieutenant colonel for Chapultepec, where he was +severely wounded. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Colonel Magruder, a +native of Virginia, entered the Confederate Army and was soon placed in +command of the Department of Texas, where he served until the close of +the war. He then entered the army of Maximilian in Mexico as major +general and was in active service until Maximilian's capture and +execution. When he returned to the United States he settled in Houston +and died there in 1871. + +A silver service (fig. 8) consisting of four goblets, pitcher, and tray, +presented to Brevet Major General John Porter Hatch, U.S. Volunteers, is +interesting because it was given in recognition of services during the +Mexican War, the Indian expeditions of 1857-1859, and the Civil War. The +gift is from Hatch's fellow citizens of Oswego, New York. + +[Illustration: Figure 8.--SILVER SERVICE given to Maj. Gen. John Hatch by +the citizens of Oswego, New York. Gift of Mark Burckle Hatch. In Division +of Political History. (Acc. 59476, cats. 16024-16026; Smithsonian photo +38259.)] + +The silver tray measures 15 by 20 inches and is decorated with four +small waterscapes and a flower design. It is raised on four short scroll +feet. The inscription reads: + + Genl. John Porter Hatch Presented by Citizens of Oswego, Jany + 1863 + +The pitcher (14 inches high and 7 inches in diameter) has a design of +grapevines and birds. The spout is in the form of a face, and the handle +represents entwined vines. It is inscribed: + + Presented by citizens of Oswego, N.Y. to their esteemed fellow + citizen Genl. John Porter Hatch as a testimonial of their + appreciation of the gallantry and heroism displayed by him in the + service of his country especially on the battle fields of Mexico + and in the Army of the Potomac Jany 1863. + +The mark is "Tiffany & Co., 7899, G. & W., English Sterling 925-1000, +550 Broadway N.Y." + +The four silver goblets are also decorated with grape vines and birds, +and they have gilt interiors. They are 8 inches high and 3-1/4 inches in +diameter. Each goblet has the inscription: + + Testimonial of the Citizens of Oswego, N.Y. to Genl. John P. + Hatch, Jan. 1863. + +Below this inscription each goblet is marked with one of the following: + + Mexico 1846-7 + New Mexico 1857-8-9 + Shenandoah Valley, May 25, 1862 + South Mountain, Sep. 14, 1862 + +Each goblet is marked "Tiffany & Co." + +Hatch graduated from the Academy in 1845 and immediately saw active +service in the Mexican War. He fought not only in General Taylor's +campaign in northern Mexico but also in General Scott's campaign to +capture Mexico City. In the years intervening before the Civil War he +saw active service in Indian campaigns and took part in a number of +scouting expeditions. With the outbreak of the Civil War he was +assigned with the Volunteers in the Army of the Potomac until he was +severely wounded at South Mountain, for which action he received the +Congressional Medal of Honor. He spent the rest of the Civil War on +duty behind the lines where he was in command of various districts in +the Department of the South following Sherman's campaign. + +The largest and most elaborate set of presentation silver in the Museum +is a complete table service (fig. 9) that was given to General Judson +Kilpatrick by the Veterans Association of Connecticut on the occasion of +his marriage to a Chilean in 1868 while he was serving as U.S. Minister +to Chile. The set is engraved with emblems of the United States, Chile, +the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy. The monograms on the individual pieces +are in gold of four colors. More than any other silver service in the +Museum this one may be said to epitomize the elaborate realism so +popular during the height of the Victorian era. + +[Illustration: Figure 9.--SILVER SERVICE presented to Gen. Judson +Kilpatrick by the Veterans Association of Connecticut. Loan of the estate +of Mrs. Luisa V. Kilpatrick. In Division of Political History. (Acc. +57292, cats. 15145-15167; Smithsonian photo 28067.)] + +The pieces are marked "Meriden B * Company *" in a circle around a +shield surmounted by balanced scales. This mark was used in the second +half of the 19th century by the Meriden Britannia Company for its +high-grade, silver-plated hollow-ware made on a base of silver +nickel.[11] + +There are two trays in the set. The smaller tray is shown in figure 9. +The larger one measures 22-1/2 inches by 38 inches and is inscribed: + + The Veteran Soldiers of Connecticut to Kilpatrick + +It is engraved in gold and silver with flags of the United States and +Chile crossed with bayonets and spears. On one side there is a center +medallion in gold with the monogram "L V K" (for Luisa V. Kilpatrick) +in a circle surmounted on a shield of stars and stripes. Above the +monogram there is a banner with three stars and a triangle. On the other +side of the standing piece two eagles in fighting position are shown in +front of a sunburst design. The United States flag can be seen directly +behind the victorious eagle. The motto "Tuebor" is at the top of the +sunburst. The entire design is encircled by a ring of stars, and there +is a shield of stars and stripes at the top. This same design is +repeated on all 40 pieces. + +The service contains napkin rings, vegetable dishes, syrup jar, spoon +holder, large centerpiece, porcelain-lined pitcher, and other +miscellaneous pieces of silver used for table service. The pieces of the +tea and coffee service are mounted on four feet that are fastened to the +bowl with cattle heads with branched horns. Each foot stands on a cloven +hoof. The knob of each of the pots is a tiny horse jumping over a +four-bar hurdle. + +One of the most interesting military presentation pieces in the +collection is a silver and copper shield presented to Lieutenant General +Nelson A. Miles, U.S. Army, by the officers of the 5th Infantry +Regiment. General Miles served for many years as colonel of the regiment +and led it in a number of notable Indian engagements. Beginning in 1869 +his regiment defeated the Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Sioux, Nez Perce, +and Bannock Indians, and, in 1886, after a long and difficult campaign, +Miles compelled the surrender of the Apaches under Geronimo and +Natchez. + +The heart-shaped shield[12] is surrounded by a rolled edge made of +copper which originally had a gold wash. Inscribed on the inside of the +rolled edge are the names "New Mexico," "Kansas," "Wyoming," "Montana," +"Dakota," "Colorado," "Indian Territory," and "Texas." A profile +portrait of General Miles, in relief, is suspended from an eagle's beak +in the center, and below are the crossed weapons of the U.S. Army and +the Indians surmounted by a peace pipe. + +The background of the shield is silver with etched scenes depicting +incidents of the career of General Miles in the states named. The scenes +depicted are of a buffalo hunt, a covered wagon on the trail, wild +horses with Indian tepees in the background, an Army council of war, +General Miles receiving the surrender of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce +Indians, and a peaceful agricultural scene. + +The plaque is inscribed as follows: + + Presented to General Nelson A. Miles, U.S. Army, by the officers + of the fifth U.S. Infantry. As a token of personal esteem and + their estimate of his distinguished services in which unequaled + successes over savages in war were paralleled by humanity and + justice towards the thousands of Indians whom he took captive and + instructed in the Arts of Civilization. + +The plaque, measuring 18-1/2 by 23 inches overall, is marked "Tiffany & +Co., 6565. Makers 2, Sterling Silver, 926-1000 and Other Metals, M." + +General Miles was colonel of the 5th Infantry Regiment for so many years +that a modification of his family crest was selected as the crest on the +coat of arms of the regiment. The Miles family crest is an arm in armor +grasping an anchor. Arrows for each Indian campaign in which the +regiment took part are substituted for the anchor in the regimental +crest.[13] + + +[Illustration: Figure 10.--SILVER SERVICE presented to Mrs. Abraham +Lincoln when she was First Lady. Gift of Mr. Lincoln Isham. In Division +of Political History. (Acc. 216335.6-.13; Smithsonian photo 44851-B.)] + +TO MARY TODD LINCOLN + +The Museum recently received a silver service (fig. 10) that belonged to +Mary Todd Lincoln. The service consists of a large oval tray, a +hot-water urn on a stand with a burner, coffeepot, teapot, hot-water +pot, cream pitcher, sugar urn, and waste bowl. All the pieces have an +overall repousse floral and strapwork pattern with the monogram "MTL" on +one side and an engraved crest on the other. The crest seems to be an +adaptation of the Todd family crest. The pieces are marked with a lion, +an anchor, and an old English "G," which are the early marks of the +Gorham Silver Company. It is assumed that this silver service was a +presentation gift to Mrs. Lincoln during the time she was First Lady of +the White House, as a letter dated July 19, 1876, from her to her son +Robert Todd Lincoln calls his attention to a silver service in his +possession that was a gift to her from "the Citizens of New York." + + +[Illustration: Figure 11.--TEAKETTLE AND STAND given to Gen. Montgomery +C. Meigs in 1853 by the citizens of Washington for his work on the +Washington Aqueduct. Gift of Gen. M. C. Meigs. In Division of Political +History. (Acc. 25386, cat. 5864; Smithsonian photo 57008.)] + +FOR ENGINEERING + +By far the most fanciful of all the mid-19th-century pieces is the +silver teakettle and stand (fig. 11) given to General Montgomery C. +Meigs by the citizens of Washington for his work on the Washington +Aqueduct. The kettle, 18 inches high, is mounted on a base that is 8-1/2 +inches square and 3-1/4 inches high. The base is made in the shape of +the stone arches of the aqueduct, and the head of George Washington, in +profile, is depicted on the center front. There is a depression in the +top of the base for holding a small alcohol lamp. Four rocks, one on +each corner of the base, provide support for the kettle. The kettle's +feet, in the form of fish, rest on the rocks and are fastened to them +with hinges held by a chain and silver pin. The pins can be released so +that the kettle can be tilted for pouring without moving it from the +base. By withdrawing all four pins, the kettle can be completely +detached from the base. The body of the kettle is decorated with +nautical designs--waves, fish, shells, etc.--and cattails and lily pads. +Under the spout is an anchor entwined with a fish over the initial "M." +A belt ornamented with stars encloses the castellated towers of the Army +Engineers symbol with the letters "U," "S," and "E" on one side of the +kettle. On the other side is the inscription: + + Presented to Captain Montgomery C. Meigs U.S. Engineers by the + Corporation of Washington with a Resolution of Thanks approved + 12th March 1853 for his Report on the Washington Aqueduct. + +The handle of the kettle is in the form of a serpent's tail, and the +spout is the serpent's open mouth. The lid is a nautilus shell on which +stands an eagle with raised wings. On one side of the base is +inscribed: + + Presented 9th June 1854 by John W. Maury--Mayor, Joseph + Borrows of B^d Ald., A. W. Miller of B^d Com. C. Committee of the + Corporation. + +The piece is marked "M. W. Galt & Bro.," a firm established in +Washington in 1802 that has been in continuous business since that +time. + +Montgomery Cunningham Meigs graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in +1836 and was soon assigned to the Engineer Corps. Thereafter, for a +quarter of a century his outstanding talents were devoted to many +important engineering projects. His favorite was the construction of the +Washington Aqueduct, which carried a large part of Washington's water +supply from the Great Falls of the Potomac to the city. This work, under +his direction between 1852 and 1860, involved devising ingenious methods +of controlling the flow and distribution of the water and also the +design of a monumental bridge across the Cabin John Branch--a bridge +that for 50 years was the longest masonry arch in the world. At the same +time Meigs was supervising the building of wings and a new dome on the +Capitol and an extension on the General Post Office Building. + +During the Civil War, Meigs served as quartermaster general, and in 1864 +he was brevetted major general. As quartermaster general he supervised +plans for the War Department Building, 1866-1867; the National Museum +Building, 1876; and an extension of the Washington Aqueduct, 1876. + +After his retirement, in 1882, General Meigs became architect of the +Pension Office Building. He served as a regent of the Smithsonian +Institution, was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and one +of the earliest members of the National Academy of Sciences. + +General Meigs himself gave the Museum this interesting piece of +presentation silver. He also gave the previously described tureen (fig. +5) that had belonged to Commodore John Rodgers, who was General Meigs' +father-in-law. + +Cyrus W. Field became interested in the idea of a cable across the +Atlantic between Newfoundland and Ireland in 1854. It was not a new +idea, and other shorter submarine cables had been successful, but this +was the first time a transatlantic cable had been promoted by a man of +Field's business ability and financial standing. Through his efforts, a +governmental charter was secured and a company of prominent New Yorkers +was formed to underwrite the venture. An unsuccessful attempt to lay the +cable was made by the company in 1857. Field tried again in 1858; on the +fourth attempt he was successful and immediately acclaimed as the +"genius of the age." + +[Illustration: Figure 12.--GOLD BOX presented to Cyrus W. Field by the +City of New York. Loan of Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Division of +Political History. (Acc. 64761, cat. 26209; Smithsonian photo 57010.)] + +New York greeted Field with wild rejoicing, and the city authorities set +September 1, 1858, as a day of celebration to give him an official +public ovation. The celebration surpassed anything the city had ever +before witnessed. Mr. Field and the officers of the cable fleet landed +at Castle Garden and received a national salute. From there the +procession progressed through crowded and gaily decorated streets to the +crowd-filled Crystal Palace, where an address was given on the history +of the cable. Then the mayor of New York gave an address honoring Mr. +Field and presented him with a gold box stating: + + The municipal government of this city instructs me to present to + you a gold box with the arms of the city engraved thereon, in + testimony of the fact that to you mainly, under Divine Providence, + the world is indebted for the successful execution of the grandest + enterprise of our day and generation; and in behalf of the Mayor, + Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York I now request your + acceptance of this token of their approbation. + +The gold box (fig. 12) presented to Field by the City of New York is +in the collections of the United States National Museum.[14] It +measures 4-1/2 inches by 3 inches. On the lid and around an engraved +representation of the cable fleet is inscribed: + + The City of New York to Cyrus W. Field + +The sides of the box are engraved with vignettes depicting the landing +of the cable, the planning group at work, science and industry united, +and Europe and America united. The bottom is engraved with the American +eagle and the British shield. The inside lid of the box is inscribed: + + The City of New York to Cyrus W. Field commemorating his skill, + fortitude and perseverance in originating and completing the first + enterprise for an ocean telegraph successfully accomplished Aug. + 5, 1858 uniting Europe and America. + +[Illustration: Figure 13.--SILVER-MOUNTED TANKARD presented to Cyrus W. +Field by the workmen of Central Park, New York City. Loan of Metropolitan +Museum of Art. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 64761, cat. 26209; +Smithsonian photo 45992-H.)] + +Significant of the enthusiasm with which Field was greeted in 1858 is a +silver-mounted tankard, made from the wood of the Charter Oak, that was +given to him in December by the workmen of Central Park. On August 18, +seemingly without advance publicity or elaborate preparations, there was +a parade on Broadway of the workmen of Central Park. The procession was +headed by a squad of policemen in full uniform, a band, and a standard +bearer with a muslin banner inscribed "The Central Park People." The men +marched in squads of four, and wore their everyday work clothes with +evergreens stuck in their hats. Each squad carried a banner giving the +name of its boss-workman. The procession included four-horse teams +drawing wagons in which rode the workmen of the Engineers' Department. +The parade was composed of 1,100 laborers and 800 carts from Central +Park and 700 laborers and carts from the new Croton Reservoir, making a +procession three miles long. Since it was altogether unexpected, it +created no little excitement and inquiry.[15] + +The tankard (fig. 13) has a silver spout inscribed: + + The Oak of this Tankard is a part of the tree in which was + preserved the Charter of the Liberties of the People of + Connecticut during a temporary success of tyranny A.D. 1687. + +There is a silver shield on the left side with the monogram "C. W. F." +and a silver shield on the right inscribed: + + The men, working in the Central Park Aug^st 17^th 1858 Present + this tankard to Cyrus W. Field, as an expression of their respect, + for the untiring labor which on that Day resulted in proving the + practicability of Trans-Atlantic Communication, by the Electric + Telegraph. + +The knob on the lid is made of silver and is decorated with an anchor +and a rope in silver. No maker's mark is discernible. + +While the public adulation was at its peak the cable suddenly stopped +working. Immediately public opinion changed and Field was accused of +being a fake. He suffered severe business reverses and in 1860 went into +bankruptcy. The outbreak of the Civil War prevented any further activity +on the cable until 1865. Field engaged the world's largest steamer, the +_Great Eastern_, to make the next attempt. The cable of 1865 parted in +midocean during the laying operations, but in 1866 experience and +technical improvements won the fight. The cable was laid and this time +it continued to operate. + +Again Field was the darling of the American people and he was greeted +with enthusiasm. Immediately on his return to New York in 1866 he sold +enough of his cable stock to enable him early in November to write to +those who had been hurt by his bankruptcy in 1860 and send to each the +full amount of his indebtedness with 7 percent interest. The full amount +paid out reached about $200,000. For this action George Peabody of New +York City gave Field a silver service. + +The silver cake basket[16] from this service is in the United States +National Museum. The shallow basket is on a pedestal with handles on +each side. The inside of the basket is gilded. Inscribed on a plaque on +one side is: + + George Peabody to Cyrus W. Field in testimony and commemoration of + an act of very high Commercial integrity and honor, New York, 24 + Nov. 1866. + +The inside of the foot of the basket is marked with the lion, anchor, +and "G" of the Gorham Silver Company. + +Field continued to be active in many business enterprises but the last +years of his life were again beset with severe financial difficulties. +He and his wife celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1890, and +in honor of this occasion their children presented them with a silver +gilt vase.[17] The vase contains a portion of the first Atlantic cable +mounted in the base, a part of the steamship _Great Eastern_, by which +the cable was laid, and the inscribed names of all the Field's children +and grandchildren. It is marked "Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver, M." + + +FOR DIPLOMACY AND LEGISLATION + +In January 1861, Dr. Samuel Lilly, physician, politician, and judge, was +sent to British India as consul general from the United States. Dr. +Lilly had been elected a representative to the 33d Congress as a Whig, +and he served from 1853 to 1855. He also served as a judge of various +lower courts in New Jersey. On his appointment as consul general he was +given a silver goblet[18] 8 inches tall and 4-1/4 inches in diameter, +having an embossed design of fruits, nuts, and flowers. On the goblet is +inscribed: + + A Testimonial of Respect and Esteem Presented to Hon. Samuel Lilly + by a few of his Fellow Citizens without distinction of Party; on + the eve of his departure for Calcutta as Consul-General to British + India January 29, 1861. + +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 knob. 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 emancipated 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 passed a resolution of congratulations on +the deliverance of the life of the Czar and commissioned Gustavus Vasa +Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, to deliver it to the Czar. Fox set +out for Europe in one of the newly designed Monitor ships that had +proved so effective in naval fighting during the Civil War. His Monitor +was escorted by other ships 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. + +[Illustration: 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 x 15 x 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 nobility. 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 +emancipated 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. Cox in honor of the +outstanding work of her husband, who as a congressman supported various +bills for the improvement of the Service. Mr. Cox 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. Cox. The ceremony took place at Mrs. Cox's home in +Washington 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 clusters 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 shells 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 ship's chain surmounts the net, and above +this is a profile of Mr. Cox 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. Cox_ 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 Cox_ 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. Batcheller in appreciation +of his services as president of the International Postal Congress, +which was held in Washington, D.C., in 1897. Judge Batcheller'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. Batcheller later served as minister to Portugal and +then as manager of European interests for various American companies. + +The International Postal Congress presented Judge Batcheller, its +presiding officer, with a handsome urn-shaped pitcher with the following +inscription engraved on the center front: + + Le Congres postal de Washington a son President le General George + S. Batcheller 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 shield 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 masses of the American public even while +his claims to fame were being challenged by his colleagues. + +Admiral Schley had already had a long and illustrious 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 Japan 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 ashore 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 workmanship 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 classical female figures. On each side of the +base is a shallow silver dish shaped like a seashell and supported by +dolphins. A shield 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 clusters 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 +flagship, 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. +The piece is marked "Maier & Berkley, Atlanta, Georgia, Sterling, +385,16." + +[Illustration: 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 Illustrious 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 battleship 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 shield. 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 Noble 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 battleship _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 aptitude 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 ship 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 Association of New York City, December 18, 1909. + +In 1910 the Royal Scottish Geographic Society presented Admiral Peary +with a silver replica of a ship (fig. 1) of the type used by Henry +Hudson, John Davis, and William Baffin in their explorations for the +Northwest Passage. The replica, representing a ship 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 Circumnavigator's Club in New York. It bears the mark of +Tiffany & Company and is inscribed: + + Circumnavigator'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." + + +[Illustration: 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, documents, 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 x 13, P 6610, xy P d." + +[Illustration: 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 Institution, + August 13, 1914" + + +TO MR. AND MRS. ROBERT TODD LINCOLN + +Among the pieces of presentation silver acquired in 1960 by the +Smithsonian Institution is a covered urn that was given to Mr. and Mrs. +Robert Todd Lincoln by their children on the occasion of their 50th +wedding anniversary.[30] Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the President, +became a prominent lawyer in Chicago and later served as president of +the Pullman Company, as Secretary of War in the cabinets of President +Garfield and President Arthur, and as Minister to Great Britain under +President Benjamin Harrison. The silver gilt urn has two handles, +measures 13 inches from the base to the finial on the cover, and 7 +inches at its widest point. Bands of ornamentation feature both the +grape design and the acorn and oak-leaf design. It is inscribed: + + Robert Todd Lincoln--Mary Harlan 1868-1918 + +The gilt wash, although almost completely polished off the outside +surface, still covers the inside of the urn and its lid. + + +TO CONGRESSMEN + +A silver tureen and tray[31] were given to the Honorable James R. Mann, +Republican leader of the House of Representatives, by the members of the +House in 1919. Mann was elected a Representative from Illinois in 1897, +and he remained a member of Congress until his death in 1922. In 1912 he +became minority leader. In addition to the Mann Act, his name is +associated with other important legislation of the period such as the +Pure Food and Drugs Act and the Woman Suffrage Amendment. + +The tray, which holds the tureen, is inscribed: + + James R. Mann Republican Leader from House Members of the 65th + Congress, March 3rd, 1919. + +It is marked on the back with "W. Sterling, 4086--16 in." The initial +represents the Wallace Silver Company. + +The oval tureen is on a pedestal base. There is a scroll design around +the edge of the base, the edge of the bowl, and the opening of the +bowl. The piece measures 14 inches from handle to handle, is 10 inches +high, and has the initials "J R M" in old English letters engraved on +the side. + +In the Museum's collection is a loving cup of Chinese design that was +presented by the Chamber of Commerce, Peking, China, to a party of +American Congressmen on a tour of China and Japan in 1920.[32] The +height of the cup is 17-5/8 inches, and its width, including the two +large handles, is 15-5/16 inches. The piece is mounted on a papier-mache +base that is covered with silk. The engraved Chinese characters +translate as follows: + + Commemorating the welcome of Congressmen from Great America + traveling in China + + Respectfully presented by members of the Chinese Diet + + May the spring of your well-being be as vast as the ocean. + + +TO SUFFRAGETTES + +Among the significant social changes that occurred in the 19th century +was the movement for woman suffrage that began about the middle of the +century as a concerted action by a nucleus of determined women. The +crusade gained strength and numbers during the second half of the +century, and finally achieved success with the ratification of the +Suffrage Amendment in 1920. Many women worked in this cause, and the +pieces of presentation silver in the National Museum's Woman Suffrage +Collection constitute a record of the most important leaders. + +Chief spokesman of the movement and its leader for many years was +Elizabeth Cady Stanton of New York State. She was instrumental in +calling the first Woman's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, +in 1848, and she served as president of the National Woman Suffrage +Association from its beginning in 1869 and as president of the National +American Woman Suffrage Association from 1890 to 1891. She continued to +be an active worker in the movement until her death in 1902, writing and +editing many works on suffrage in addition to her administrative work. + +On the occasion of her 80th birthday in 1895, Mrs. Stanton was presented +with a silver tray[33] (8 inches wide and 1-1/2 inches deep) that is +inscribed: + + From the Ladies of Seneca Falls, 1848-1895. + +This tray, presented at a meeting at the Metropolitan Opera House in New +York City, bears on the back a "W" in a circle, a two-headed lion in a +rectangle (probably an early mark of the Wallace Silver Company), the +word "Sterling," and the number "2048." + +[Illustration: Figure 18.--CUP GIVEN TO SUSAN B. ANTHONY by the Colorado +Equal Suffrage Association. Gift of National American Woman Suffrage +Association. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 64601, cat. 26163; +Smithsonian photo 45992-J.)] + +On the same occasion Mrs. Stanton was presented a silver loving cup[34] +that is inscribed: + + 1815-1895 Presented to Elizabeth Cady Stanton by the New York City + Woman Suffrage League, November 12, 1895. Defeated day by day but + unto victory born. + +The cup, 4-1/2 inches in diameter and 7-3/8 inches deep, is marked on +the bottom with the Wallace "W," similar to the mark on the tray, and +"Sterling, 3798, 4-1/2 pints, 925/100 fine, Pat 1892." + +The life story of Susan B. Anthony is a record of 60 years of devotion +and work for the enfranchisement of women. An organizer and director of +countless suffrage activities, she was tireless in conducting campaigns +for woman suffrage. She is the one individual who has become so +identified with the fight for woman suffrage that, more than any other, +her name has become synonymous with that term. During her lifetime she +worked in almost every capacity in the organized movement. She became +president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1892 +and served until her 80th birthday in 1900. On that occasion the +Colorado Equal Suffrage Association presented her with a miniature, +three-handled loving cup that stands only 3-3/4 inches high (fig. 18). +In one section of the cup there is engraved the word "Colorado" and the +state's coat of arms; in an adjoining section is an engraving of the +state flower; and in the third section is the following inscription: + + Colorado Equal Suffrage Association to Susan B. Anthony on her + 80th Birthday 1900. + +The cup is marked on the bottom "Sterling, 590, A. J. Stark & Co., +Denver." + +She was also given a silver-plated teakettle[35] by the Political +Equality Club of Rochester, New York. The stand is 3-1/2 inches high, +and the teapot is 5-1/4 inches high. Engraved around the top of the +teapot is: + + Susan B. Anthony 1820-1893. + +The stand is marked "Mfd. & Plated Reed & Barton" and "65." + +The chosen leader of the Woman Suffrage Movement after 1900 was Mrs. +Carrie Chapman Catt, a vigorous organizer and campaigner who led the +drive for the constitutional amendment that was finally ratified in +1920. Mrs. Catt founded the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in +1902 and served as its president until 1923. Her late years were devoted +to the cause of international peace and disarmament. + +Mrs. Catt was the prime mover in calling the first international +conference on suffrage, which, in 1902, welcomed representatives from +nine foreign nations--Great Britain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, +Turkey, Russia, Australia, and Chile. The delegates were honored guests +at the National Suffrage Convention then in session in Washington where +they also attended two congressional hearings on suffrage and were +received by President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House.[36] Mrs. +Catt was given a silver tray[37] inscribed: + + To Carrie Chapman Catt from the foreign delegates to the First + International Suffrage Conference, Washington, D.C., Feb. 12-18, + 1902. + +The back of the tray is marked "Galt & Bro. Sterling, 386." The Galt +silver firm is in Washington, D.C. + +The campaign for the first referendum in the state of New York on woman +suffrage was considered to be the most decisive of all the state fights. +New York was divided into 12 campaign districts working under Mrs. Catt. +The campaign was most vigorously waged, but the referendum was +defeated.[38] After the New York campaign Mrs. Catt received a silver +gilt tray[39] inscribed: + + Honorable Carrie Chapman Catt from Katherine Howard Notman + + Eleventh Assembly District Campaign Chairman, 1915 + + The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not + be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on + account of sex. + +The tray is marked on the reverse "Tiffany and Co., 18154, Makers 811, +Sterling Silver, 925/1000/M." + +Mrs. Catt had started the suffrage movement in the Philippine Islands +when she visited there in 1912 and organized the first suffrage club in +Manila. In 1937 the Philippine legislature submitted the question of +votes for women to the women of the Islands themselves. The campaign +committee working out of Manila sent native women campaigners throughout +the Islands to be sure all races and religions were represented in the +vote. Mrs. Catt raised money in this country and sent it to the campaign +committee to help with the fight.[40] Over half a million Philippine +women voted favorably on the question, and several months later Mrs. +Catt was presented with a silver plaque, mounted on native woods, that +is now in the Museum's collection.[41] It is inscribed: + + In grateful acknowledgement of the moral and financial aid given + by the women of America through Carrie Chapman Catt to the women + of the Philippines through the International Federation of Women's + Clubs in their struggles for their political rights culminating in + ultimate victory in April, 1937. + + +[Illustration: Figure 19.--BELT GIVEN TO H. W. HIGHAM as the winner of a +6-day bicycle race at Glasgow, Scotland. Gift of Mr. H. W. Higham. In +Division of Transportation. (Acc. 168449, cat. 313867; Smithsonian photo +45992-F.)] + +FOR SPORTS EVENTS + +The earliest of the sports trophies in the collection is an ornate belt +(fig. 19) made of blue velvet upon which are mounted five engraved +silver plates connected by silver straps. On the center plate is the +inscription: + + 6 Days Bicycle Champion Belt of Scotland Won by H. W. Higham + Nottingham 19th June 1880 Contested at Glasgow + +One of the two adjoining smaller plates has an engraving of a man riding +a high-wheeled bicycle, and the other has an engraving of a man standing +beside a similar bicycle. The two outer plates are engraved with +Scottish coats of arms. The belt is 34-1/2 inches long and 3 inches +wide. + +[Illustration: Figure 20.--THE VANDERBILT CUP, an annual award for +automobile races in the early 20th century. Gift of William K. +Vanderbilt, Jr. In Division of Transportation. (Acc. 131820, cat. 310894; +Smithsonian photo 45992-B.)] + +Trophies were awarded for competition among the various makes of cars +almost as early as the advent of the automobile itself. The earliest +such trophy in the Museum's collection is a three-handled, cut-glass +cup[42] with a wide silver rim on which is engraved: + + Automobile Club of New Jersey. Eagle Rock Hill Climbing Contest. + First Prize Nov. 5, 1901. + +The prize was won by Charles E. Duryea who drove an automobile of his +own manufacture. + +Most important of the automobile trophies was the Vanderbilt Cup (fig. +20) for racing, which was established by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., in +1904 to bring the best cars of foreign make to the United States so that +domestic manufacturers could observe them. It is believed that the +trophy contributed in this way to the rapid development of the +automobile in the United States. The Vanderbilt Cup races were held +annually in the United States under the auspices of the American +Automobile Association. + +The silver cup, measuring 23 inches high and 20 inches in diameter and +weighing about 40 pounds, is engraved with statistics of the various +races--such as dates, winners, types of cars, distances, and times.[43] +There is a wreath around the brim, and the front is decorated with a +period racing car in repousse. The inscription reads: + + Challenge Cup Presented by W. K. Vanderbilt Jr. American + Automobile Assn. under deed of gift to be raced for yearly by cars + under 1000 kilos. + +On the inside of the stem is marked "Tiffany and Co." and "35 pints." + +Athletic trophies in the collection include eight silver and silver-plated +loving cups awarded for athletic events to the crew members of various +ships of the U.S. Navy.[44] The sporting events represented include +baseball and football games, canoe and cutter races, and track meets +held among the fleet between 1903 and 1915. + + +TROWELS FOR CORNERSTONE LAYING + +The National Museum also has a small collection of silver trowels used +for laying cornerstones of public buildings. There is an ivory-handled +trowel (fig. 21) with the inscription: + +[Illustration: Figure 21.--TROWEL used by President Ulysses S. Grant in +laying the cornerstone of the Museum of Natural History, New York City. +Gift of Julia Dent Grant and William H. Vanderbilt. In Division of +Political History. (Acc. 18528, cat. 3004; Smithsonian photo 45992-A.)] + + This Trowel was used by His Excellency Ulysses S. Grant. President + of the United States in laying the Corner Stone of the Building + erected by the Department of Public Parks for the American Museum + of Natural History and presented to him by the Trustees of the + Museum New York June 2^nd 1874. + +There are also some silver trowels in the Bishop Matthew Simpson +Collection.[45] The earliest of these is inscribed: + + Presented to Bishop Simpson D.D.L.L.D. at a laying of a stone of + the New Wesleyan Church, Willesden, in commemoration of the 1st + Methodist OEcumenical Conference held in London, Sept. 10, 1881. + +This trowel (cat. 38199) bears the English standard marks with the +initials "H. H." + +On the same trip to London Bishop Simpson received an ivory-handled +silver trowel (cat. 38198) inscribed: + + Presented to Bishop Simpson upon his laying the foundation stone + of Clouditte Methodist Church, Dublin, 12th October, 1881. + +Another silver trowel in the same collection is inscribed: + + Used by Bishop Simpson at the laying of the cornerstone of the + Wenonah Methodist Episcopal Church, Wenonah, New Jersey, Aug. 15, + 1883, and presented to him in loving remembrance of his presence. + +This trowel (cat. 38197) is marked "Coin" on the back. + +The fourth trowel, given to Mrs. Simpson, is inscribed as follows: + + Presented to Mrs. Bishop Matthew Simpson by the Lady Managers in + loving remembrance of her laying the cornerstone of the Methodist + Episcopal Orphanage, Philadelphia, Oct. 13, 1887. + +The back of this trowel (cat. 38208) is marked "Sterling." + + +FIRE TRUMPETS + +Three fire trumpets in a collection[46] on loan from the Insurance +Company of North America are inscribed as presentation pieces. One of +these is 22 inches high and has eagle-head handles and an overall +repousse design. This trumpet is engraved: + + May 1871 Retired from active service by the establishment of the + Volunteer Fire Department In grateful remembrance we restore to + Samuel G. Simpson his handsome gift presented by him to the + Southwark Fire Co. Nov. 7, 1865. + +Another trumpet is engraved with crossed ladders, pikes, and fire +helmets against an overall floral design. It is 19-1/2 inches high. The +inscription reads: + + Presented to Vigilant Engine Co. #6 of Paterson New Jersey at the + Annual Fair of the Willis Street Baptist Church April 1879. + +The inscription on the third trumpet reads simply: + + Presented to Captain George W. Erb by the Ladies of St. Rose's + Fair. + +It has an elaborate engine-engraved design and is 21-1/2 inches high. + + * * * * * + + + U.S. Government Printing Office: 1965 + + For sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing + Office + Washington, D.C. 20402 Price 30 cents + + * * * * * + + +_Paper 47, pages 81-108, from UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN +241_: + + CONTRIBUTIONS FROM + THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY + AND TECHNOLOGY + + SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION + WASHINGTON, D.C. + 1965 + + * * * * * + + + + +FOOTNOTES: + + [1] Bequest of Arthur Michaels (acc. 162866, cat. 383497), + Division of Cultural History, USNM. + + [2] E. ALFRED JONES, _The Old Silver of American Churches_ + (National Society of Colonial Dames of America, 1913), pp. 68-69 + and pl. 27. + + [3] Bequest of Arthur Michaels (acc. 162866, cat. 383549), + Division of Cultural History, USNM. + + [4] H. MAXSON HOLLOWAY, "American Presentation Silver," + _New-York Historical Society Quarterly_ (October 1946), vol. 30, + p. 228. + + [5] "The Journal of the Proceedings of the Commissioners + Plenipotentiary, Appointed on Behalf of the United States to + Treat with the Northwestern Tribes of Indians," _American State + Papers ... Indian Affairs_, vol. 1, pp. 826-836. + + [6] G. Carroll Lindsay, "The Treaty Pipe of the Delawares," + _Antiques_ (1958), vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 44-45. + + [7] Gift of Thomsen H. Alexander (acc. 63880, cat. 22995), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [8] Bequest of Amy Wetmore May (acc. 190331, cat. 387945), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [9] Gift of Estate of Sophie P. Casey (acc. 171620, cat. + 44364), Division of Political History, USNM. + + [10] Bequest of Henry R. Magruder (acc. 47577, cat. 10793), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [11] EARL CHAPIN MAY, _Century of Silver 1847-1947: Connecticut + Yankees and a Noble Metal_ (New York: McBride and Co., 1947), pl. + 36. + + [12] Loan of Mrs. Samuel Reber (acc. 87949, cat. 35145), + Division of Armed Forces History, USNM. + + [13] _Infantry_ (vol. 2 of _The Army Lineage Book_), + Washington, 1953. + + [14] Loan of Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. 64761, cat. + 26209), Division of Political History, USNM. + + [15] ISABELLA FIELD JUDSON, ed., _Cyrus W. Field, His Life and + Work_ (New York, 1896), p. 110. + + [16] Gift of Isabella Field Judson (acc. 116488, cat. 37662), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [17] Gift of Isabella Field Judson (acc. 32290, cat. 7214), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [18] Gift of William Lilly (acc. 103012, cat. 35780), Division + of Political History, USNM. + + [19] Gift of William Lilly (acc. 103012, cats. 35781-82), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [20] JOHN D. CHAMPLIN, Jr., ed., _Narrative of the Mission to + Russia in 1866 of the Hon. Gustavus Vasa Fox from the Journal and + Notes of J. F. Loubat_ (New York, 1873), p. 264. + + [21] Snuffboxes were given by sovereigns to those who were not + allowed to receive decorations. Such boxes were of three grades: + plain gold boxes, boxes set with diamonds, and boxes having both + diamonds and the sovereign's miniature. The latter were given + only to persons of the highest distinction. + + [22] CHAMPLIN, p. 359. + + [23] Gift of Elizabeth Hardenburg (acc. 53695, cat. 12782), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [24] From a speech by Cox delivered in the House of Representatives, + April 24, 1888. + + [25] Gift of Katherine Batcheller (acc. 112477, cat. 36871), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [26] Collection gift of Mrs. R. S. Wortley (acc. 136891), + Division of Naval History, USNM. + + [27] Gift of Nellie G. Gunther (acc. 84594, cat. 35647), + Division of Naval History, USNM. + + [28] Loan of Robert E. Peary (acc. 52878), Division of Naval + History, USNM. + + [29] Loan of Mrs. Robert E. Peary (acc. 177710, cat. 46014), + Division of Naval History, USNM. + + [30] Gift of Lincoln Isham (acc. 227132.1), Division of + Political History, USNM. + + [31] Gift of Mrs. James R. Mann (acc. 70676, cats. 34113-14), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [32] The cup (acc. 66168, cat. 30852) was deposited in the + United States National Museum (Division of Political History) by + the Honorable John. H. Small, who was chairman of the group of + traveling Congressmen. + + [33] Gift of Harriot Stanton Blatch (acc. 127776, cat. 38762), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [34] Gift of Harriot Stanton Blatch (acc. 127776, cat. 38763), + Division of Political History, USNM. + + [35] Gift of National American Woman Suffrage Association (acc. + 64601, cat. 26162), Division of Political History, USNM. + + [36] MARY GRAY PECK, _Carrie Chapman Catt_ (New York: H. W. + Wilson Co., 1944), pp. 121-122. + + [37] Gift of National American Woman Suffrage Association (acc. + 147840, cat. 42083), Division of Political History, USNM. + + [38] PECK, op. cit., pp. 220-232. + + [39] Gift of National American Woman Suffrage Association (acc. + 147840, cat. 42084), Division of Political History, USNM. + + [40] PECK, op. cit., pp. 457-458. + + [41] Gift of National American Woman Suffrage Association (acc. + 147840, cat. 42085), Division of Political History, USNM. + + [42] Gift of Mrs. Charles Duryea (acc. 144429, cat. 311338), + Division of Transportation, USNM. + + [43] Statistics on the cup for the races held from 1904 to 1916 + are an interesting record of the development of the automobile. + For instance, the winning speed increased from 52.2 miles per + hour in 1904 to 86.99 miles per hour in 1916. + + [44] These trophies were received as a transfer from the + Department of Defense (acc. 83961). + + [45] Gift of the Misses Simpson (acc. 104604), Division of + Political History, USNM. + + [46] (Acc. 138182, cat. 311087), Division of Transportation, + USNM. + + + + + + * * * * * + + + + +Transcriber's note: + + All footnotes were moved to the end of the text. + + Some illustrations have been moved. + + A List of Illustrations was added. + + Archaic and variable spelling is preserved. + + The author's punctuation style is preserved. + + The following changes were made to the original text: + + Page 92: =silverplated= standardized to =silver-plated= + (by the Meriden Britannia Company for its high-grade, + =silver-plated= hollow-ware made on a base of silver + nickel.) + + Page 92: =old-English= standardized to =old English= (and has + the initials "J R M" in =old English= letters + engraved on the side.) + + Footnote 25: Added period after =cat= (Gift of Katherine + Batcheller (acc. 112477, =cat.= 36871), Division + of Political History, USNM.) + + Footnote 26: =UNSM= changed to =USNM= (Collection gift of + Mrs. R. S. Wortley (acc. 136891), Division of + Naval History, =USNM=.) + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRESENTATION PIECES IN THE MUSEUM OF +HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY*** + + +******* This file should be named 29234.txt or 29234.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/9/2/3/29234 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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