Tea Spoon 1822 - 1825

These coin silver teaspoons were crafted by Patrick Martin, a silversmith active in Lexington, Kentucky, between 1817 and 1850. In the early 19th century, the economic landscape of the United States was shifting as industry began to grow. This pair of teaspoons speaks to a burgeoning middle class that began acquiring commodities like decorative silverware, even in the slave-holding South. These objects, which seem benign today, served as quiet indicators of social standing. Think about whose hands held these spoons and what meals they might have been used for. Consider also who might have been laboring, likely without recognition, to prepare and serve that food. While silverware can be seen as an indicator of status and refinement, these particular spoons also prompt us to reflect on labor, class, and race in the antebellum South.