posted 08-27-2006 08:16 AM            

The above tongs are marked D. T. Knox HUNTSV'L. David T. Knox was in Huntsville, Alabama by 1825 and died there in 1872. The book "Made in Alabama - A State Legacy" has one chapter devoted to Alabama silversmiths and includes some information about Mr. Knox. An 1825 advertisement in a local Huntsville paper noted that he had jewelry and silverware from New York and Philadelphia for sale. A later advertisement in 1829 stated that he was "constantly employed in making silverware". A still later advertisement in 1836 continued to extol the goods, including silverware, from New York and Philadelphia in one section of the advertisement and in a separate smaller section mentions that he also has silver , table, dessert and tea spoons and a variety of other articles. The authors infer from this separation that Mr. Knox may have made some simple articles such as spoons while purchasing the more complicated articles of silver from firms in the northeast.

These tongs are the made with the typical thin gauge silver that was fairly common in the 1820s and 30s, are of simple design and have plainly shaped bowls or nips. I suspect that these tongs were of the same difficultly to make as spoons of this time period and may well have been made by Mr. Knox simply because they were easy to make. For him, I expect the question of whether to buy or make was the same as for many other silversmiths. If they could make it cheaper and had the time and skill they most likely did make the item. One of the other early silversmiths in Huntsville advertised more than once that it was time for his customers to "pay up" indicating to me that money was very important to early silversmiths and that cash flow issues could determine when to make or buy. I also wonder whether or not the actually making of some items helped in maintaining the silversmith's skills when repair work came into their shop. Good repair work would seem to have been a necessary service offered if the silversmith wanted to retain loyal customers.

Noted in Beth Carver Wees' book "English, Irish, & Scottish Silver" is the fact many firms including Parker and Wakelin and William Bateman II contracted out for much of their supply of silver in much the same way as Knox. This may be the first time that a simply silversmith from Alabama was linked to such large and well known firms in England, but the business reasons for contracting out or making may well have been the same. Ms. Wees also notes that the term "maker's mark" has been changed to "sponsor's mark" since 1973. I assume this change is in recognition of the fact that the mark has little to do with the identification of the actual plate worker who made the object and it is the retailer who should have their name on the final product.

posted 08-14-2008 05:42 AM            

Do your references show David T Knox and Levy Sugars working together in Huntsville?

Thanks,

posted 06-21-2019 07:00 PM            

I have resisted buying more spoons for some time, but saw these nice spoons and put the resistance on hold. They are by David Knox of Huntsville Alabama as were the sugar tongs shown above. These fiddle spoons have an attractive broad drop, a mid rib end that Belden calls a short back, a chambered shoulder and a down turned handle. The feather monogram is well done and the average weight is a little less than 38 grams per spoon so they have a good usable weight. They are a little over 7 ½ inches long and today I would call these dessert spoons, but I do not know what they called them in the past.
I really do not know when they were made, but I believe they would date sometime before 1840 and probable were made by Mr. Knox.
We will use them tonight for some peaches from Clinton County Alabama that we brought yesterday at the Nashville flea market and some California vanilla ice cream.