Name/Title

Teaspoon

Entry/Object ID

08.8

Description

Coin silver teaspoon. The spoon handle features a fiddleback design, which curves slightly upward at the end. On one side, towards the end of the handle, the metal has been dented and pushed up irregularly. The handle has a delicate feathered monogram of three letters. The bowl is oval with a pronounced, pointed tip. The bowl is much dented—two prominent fins on the handle frame the bowl. The back of the handle has no decorative engraving or stamping. It bears the maker's mark on the underside.

Artwork Details

Medium

Silver

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Nowlan & Young

Role

Silversmith

Date made

1853 - 1854

Time Period

19th Century

Place

* Untyped Place

Petersburg, Virginia

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Engraving

Location

Obverse of handle

Transcription

WHC

Language

English

Material/Technique

Inscribed

Type

Makers Mark

Location

Reverse of handle

Transcription

NOWLAN & YOUNG

Language

English

Material/Technique

Inscribed

Dimensions

Width

1-1/4 in

Depth

1/4 in

Length

6-1/4 in

Dimension Notes

Details: Bowl: 1-1/4 inches wide x 2 inches long

Provenance

Notes

This coin silver teaspoon belonged to Patrick Henry's son, Edward Winston Henry Sr. (1794–1872). Edward built and lived at Windstone, located east of Red Hill, which was originally part of Patrick Henry's Red Hill estate. The design and maker's mark on the spoon indicate a date consistent with original ownership by Edward Henry Sr. The mark of "Nowlan & Young" was used from 1853 to 1854. James T. Young (1825–1892) was a jeweler and watchmaker in Petersburg, Virginia. He began his short-lived partnership with Thomas Nowland in 1853, which quickly dissolved the following year. The spoon passed from Edward Winston Henry, Sr., to his daughter Maria Rosalie Henry Lewis (1818–1898), and then to Maria's son, Edward Winston Henry Lewis (1849–1910). It came into the possession of Corinne Henry Lewis (1882–1948), daughter of Edward Winston Henry Lewis. Finally, Corinne Lewis Shipp Starke (1910–2010), daughter of Corinne Henry Lewis, inherited the spoon from her mother. Corinne Lewis Shipp Starke donated the spoon to the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation on August 21, 2008.