Gilded Age Dining Requisites Revealed

What Have We Here? — I’m routinely sent photos of utensils via DM on Instagram, asking for their intended purpose. I’m happy to share the information. Here is a small selection from my personal collection appearing on the back of my latest book— A gilded age, souvenir spoon from Baltimore, featuring a turtle, or terrapin design, is on the far left of this assortment. Next, from left to right, are a gilded orange spoon; a multi-tined, gilded sardine fork; a gilded and pierced, nut scoop or bon bon scoop; a gilded, heart-shaped bon bon server; a gilded sugar sifter or confectioner spoon; a gilded, spiderweb design, lettuce serving fork; a gilded jelly (aspic) server or jelly roll cake server; and a gilded and pierced bon bon server. The gilding was applied to protect the silver from tarnishing due to salt, citric acid, and other harmful ingredients commonly found in foods.

The Gilded Age table often required numerous utensils for dining and serving. A souvenir spoon from Baltimore, featuring a turtle, or terrapin, is on the far left of this assortment. Each utensil was designed with at least one food —or purpose— in mind, yet many suited several foods, or even evolved to suit new foods which were considered delicacies, when the foods they were originally designed for, became less important when entertaining.  - The fancy for collecting “souvenir” spoons, one at a time, suggests a way to secure a valuable lot of spoons with out feeling the burden of the expense. Yet, on the other hand, these spoons are much more expensive than equally good plain silver, the extra price being paid other hand, these spoons are much more expensive than equally good plain silver, the extra price being paid for the “idea;” but the expenditure is worth while to those who value historical associations.— Agnes H. Morton. 1899

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia