Do you remember commemorative or souvenir spoons? Have you looked in that unopened drawer recently? Did your aunt or your mother or grandmother collect them? These decorative spoons were a memento of a place visited or made to commemorate an event, collected for the memories they would evoke when looking at them or using them. Collecting these spoons, usually made of sterling silver or silver plate, often became a passion. 1889 is credited as the beginning of phenomenon when Gait & Bros. of Washington, D.C. made a spoon featuring the profile of George Washington, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first president’s election.
The golden age of spoon collecting fell between the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and World War I, when the craze declined. But creating commemorative spoons for expositions or events did not disappear completely. Many groups had their own spoons—high schools, civic organizations, historic sites. All the buildings in the 1939 New York World’s Fair were commemorated on a series of silver spoons. Even the Library of Congress had its image on a spoon, together with other sights in the nation’s capital. Hence, we still find the unexpected spoon tucked up in the back of the cupboard. Tell us about your secret spoon stash or your memories of commemorative spoons in your family. #throwbackthursday; #tbt
Posted to Facebook 6/10/2021
