Spoons
1825–50
Medium
tableware designs
Classification
tableware designs
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-5490
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Spoons** *Unknown artist, 1825–50* *Tableware designs, Smithsonian American Art Museum* Step into the elegant world of 19th-century American dining with *Spoons*, a set tableware designs from the mid-1820s to 1850s. Created by an unknown artist, these intricate sketches or patterns capture the artistry behind everyday silverware, a medium that blended functionality with refined ornamentation. During this era, as America embraced growing industrialization and a burgeoning middle class, table like spoons became symbols of hospitality and social status, often handcrafted by silversmiths or...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...