h/largaret Brown Klapthor 



jPresentation TPieces 



III the Museum of History and Technology 



As a social document, the collection of prcsentiition pieces, 

 mostly silver, in the United States National Museutn provides 

 evidence of the taste and craftsmanship in America at various 

 periods from the mid-18 th century to the 1910' s. 



Although the representative items selected for illustration con- 

 firm the view that such pieces often lack artistic merit, the 

 collection nevertheless reveals the deeds — in tvar, politics, tech- 

 nology, diplomacy, sports — that our forebears deemed worthy of 

 special recognition. And it helps to bring alive some figures 

 now submerged in our ever-expanding history. 



The author: Margaret Brown Klapthor is associate curator 

 of political history in the Smithsonian Institution s Museum oj 

 History and Technolog)' . 



THE CUSTOM OF GIVING A PIECE OF SILVER tO 

 an individual in recognition of service or in ap- 

 preciation of accomplishment probably began as 

 soon as man developed the fashioning of that metal 

 into objects. Such a presentation piece was a tan- 

 gible and durable form of recognition which could 

 be appreciated, used, displayed, and enjoyed by the 

 recipient. Many of these silver pieces became for 

 succeeding generations the cherished evidence of rec- 

 ognition accorded to an ancestor, and they were pre- 

 served long after the more customary family silver 

 had worn out or been lost. 



The Smithsonian Institution's Museum of History 

 and Technology has what may well be the most 

 varied and extensive collection of such presentation 

 pieces ever to be preserved and exhibited in one place. 

 The collection contains the work of some of the more 

 prominent American silversmiths, but most of the 

 pieces are by lesser known makers and are in the col- 



lection because of historic interest rather than artistic 

 merit. The chief usefulness of the collection lies in 

 its value as a social document and in the mute evidence 

 it gives of the taste and craftsmanship of the periods 

 covered. The collection is also helpful in dating type 

 specimens that do not have specific associations with 

 persons and dates. Perhaps even more interesting than 

 the gamut of styles that the collection presents is the 

 panorama of deeds, events, and persons that our fore- 

 bears considered worthy of recognition. Silver pres- 

 entation pieces were awarded to persons in almost 

 every walk of life — to military men, to peace-loving 

 Indians, and to men who achieved success in politics 

 and agriculture. They were given for sea rescues, 

 for heroic deeds by firemen and school-patrol boys, 

 and for outstanding community and civic work. 

 Within our time they have been given as trophies for 

 excellence in athletics, automobile racing, and many 

 other events. 



PAPER 4 7 : PRESENTATION PIECES 



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