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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 American Silver before sterling
 When did Americans start using forks?
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| Author | Topic: When did Americans start using forks? |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 04-25-2017 12:08 PM
  
I see lots of early 19th c spoons, but very few forks. Am I right that forks for eating--as opposed to serving--appeared late in America and were not really common until after the Civil War? Or a little earlier? When? They're common enough once big mass-produced table services came into being, certainly by the 1870s. But when did Americans start eating with forks as a part of daily life? (I searched the archives to see if this topic had been addressed already and found a VERY brief thread--just two comments--but it's in a defunct forum and the computer did not allow me to comment on it.) IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 04-25-2017 01:15 PM
Recently I got a pair of large, coin silver dinner forks by Anthony Rasch from New Orleans. I date them between 1820-1840, so yes, there are forks from that period but they appear to be uncommon. IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 04-25-2017 01:44 PM
Interesting--would love to see a photo. IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 04-25-2017 04:19 PM
I also have a few forks of a similar date by Geraldus Boyce, Fletcher & Gardiner, and the Marquands. All are of heavy weight and generous proportion, obviously intended for a luxe clientele. My few examples dating to mid-century are more in keeping with run of the mill spoons of the time. My price list issued by James P. Steele in 1834 lists table forks at $10.50 per dozen and desserts at $9.00. On the other hand, books on manners of the period were warning about the European affectation of forks at table. IP: Logged |
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park1226 Posts: 102 |
posted 04-25-2017 07:51 PM
Noel Turner's 1972 American Silver Flatware book devotes considerable space in Chapter 8 to discussing the acceptance of the fork in the United States. He quotes an 1868 Harper's Magazine article, "…in the United States, as recently as 1835, their use (forks) was confined to persons who possessed considerable wealth. They were not common at that time in any but the best hotels, and not one person in ten had ever seen them used". There are also several circa 1880 cartoons mocking individuals who preferred using a knife to a fork. He suggests that by 1880 the fork had gained general acceptance. It is a worthwhile read if you have access to a copy of this book. IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 04-25-2017 08:36 PM
Very interesting--thank you. I will look for the Turner book. IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 04-26-2017 10:02 AM
Please don't laugh. <IMG SRC="http://www.smpub.com/ubb/biggrin.gif" alt="biggrin"> I did eat a Mexican Pizza with this fork the day I got it. (it's the only picture I have at the moment) I actually got a pair of these and I'm glad I got them! And here's the composition: It's kind of low but these were made in New Orleans at this time and likely used coins for their manufacture. I don't have a current picture of the mark, but they have the "A. Rasch" mark that was used when he moved to New Orleans. IP: Logged |
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Polly Posts: 1970 |
posted 04-26-2017 11:16 AM
I bet that's the handsomest fork Mexican pizza has ever experienced! IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 935 |
posted 04-26-2017 11:32 AM
lol  Likely true. IP: Logged |
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seaduck Posts: 350 |
posted 04-26-2017 08:20 PM
I gotta ask....so what did they use? Spoons and knives? This was well past the dawn of the age of gentility and refinement. What passed for table etiquette? IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 04-26-2017 08:54 PM
Most meats were cooked as stews (beef, pork, game, cod, etc) and eaten with spoons. Dishes roasted on the bone (chicken, turkey, quail, etc), were eaten with fingers. Simpler times. IP: Logged |
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ellabee Posts: 306 |
posted 04-29-2017 12:41 AM
A picture of a dinner setting on the Mt. Vernon site shows forks with what look like ivory handles:  I wonder if they were British or American made. Washington bought sets of creamware in 1769 and might well have ordered the flatware then. IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 04-29-2017 11:10 AM
There are many stories about the purchases of silver by George Washington as he seemed to really enjoy setting an excellent table. One story is that shortly after the start of the Revolutionary War the then General Washington tried to cancel an order for silver from his English silversmith and place an order instead with a French company. The order for the French silver was placed and the silver supplied, but the English company never got notice of the cancellation and also supplied the silver. If I remember correctly, the article said General Washington paid both bills. One of the reasons Washington took up the cause to separate from England was simply that the business model then in place did not meet his idea of a fair one. He enjoyed buying “things” and the model then required him to ship his goods to England with English companies then enjoying the right to determine payment. The payment determined how much he could buy and I think every year he got a little more in debt to the “company store”. One book that I purchased some time ago was “Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005. I think was a companion book to an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt back in 2005. [other posts mentioning the exhibit] I put this book somewhere and once I locate it I will see if it has any information on when the people of the United States started using silver. President Washington I suspect was never criticized for using forks, but some early presidents were as in the early 1800 forks were not in favor with the working class. There are available many U.S. made silver forks from the 1830s and I suspect by the 1840s forks were, if not in general use, being using by a sizeable portion of the urban population. IP: Logged |
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