Etiquette and Spoon Holders

Spoon Holders, also known as “Spooners” in some areas of the U.S., were a popular part of the late 19th century tea table équipage. The etiquette for the combination spoon holders/sugar bowls was to lift the spoon by the handle, not the bowl, to avoid potentially dirtying another’s spoon. 

A Combination Spoon Holder and Sugar Bowl, with a dozen spoons hanging around the bowl. Reproduction silver-plate, combination spoon holder/sugar bowls were being offered by International Silver in the early to mid-1990’s, featuring a similar design to the antique bowl and holder pictured above, but with a bird instead of the butterfly finial.

Like the old-fashioned butter dish, spoon holders were frequently part of a tea set in Victorian silverplate. As a matter of fact, in some sets the spoon holder was furnished in place of the waste bowl. (Then inelegantly called a slop bowl.) But, in its day, the spoon holder was considered a standard piece of equipment on the well set dining table and most silverware makers offered many additional designs from which to choose.

Most of these were about the size and shape of a goblet, but not quite as tall, and usually had two handles. There were also double spoon holders, and some in unusual shapes. There were some which included a bell to call the maid between courses. Almost all of them were made entirely of metal.

Around 1890 there were also three piece sets called Dessert Sets, made up of sugar bowl, cream pitcher and spoon holder. Some of these had glass linings in a silver plated frame. A particularly handsome one was made by Simpson, Hall, Miller and Comp any of Wallingford, Connecticut in 1891. The frame was ornamented with medallions of Greecian type heads and the linings were rich ruby glass in all three pieces.

A variation of the spoon holder is one called a “Combination Spoon Holder and Sugar Bowl.” This was a large sugar bowl with racks around the perimeter to hold a dozen spoons. Spoon holders in silverplate had a comparatively long life. They date back as early as 1861, and a few were still being sold as late as 1934. (Site editor’s note: Reproduction silver-plate, combination spoon holder/sugar bowls were being offered by International Silver in the early to mid-1990’s, featuring a similar design to the antique bowl and holder pictured above, but with a bird instead of the butterfly finial.)

Those found in antique shops now can sometimes be distinguished from similarly shaped articles because the bottom of the inside is scarred and indented from the many spoons placed in them over the years. They make nice little conversation pieces today, and can be used as small vases, or containers for cigarettes.

 —From “The Elegance of Old Silverplate and Some Personalities,” by Edmund P. Hogan

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