Spoon

Maker Wilmot & Richmond (American, 1860 - 1861)

Datec. 1860

Mediumsilver

Dimensions7 1/4 × 1 1/2 inches (18.4 × 3.8 cm)

MarkingsMaker's mark: WILMOT & RICHMOND

Credit LineBequest of Gertrude West Hollowbush.

Object number1988.3.5

On View

On view

CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextWilmot & Richmond was established in 1860 by Connecticut native Samuel Wilmot Jr. (1807–1894) and Henry A. Richmond (1815–1869) at the corner of Congress, St. Julien, and Whitaker Streets. Connecticut-born Wilmot worked in Georgetown, South Carolina in the 1830s and 40s but was active in Savannah beginning in 1850, after taking over his late cousin Thomas T. Wilmot’s (c. 1811–1850) shop. Richmond was born in New Jersey. After a year, the partnership dissolved, and Richmond operated the business alone for an unknown amount of time. In 1865, after the Civil War ended, S. P. Hamilton (1837–1899) took over the firm. This spoon descended in a Chatham County family, and “Soullard” was a prominent name in both Chatham and Hancock counties in Georgia. This elaborately decorated handle aligns with the increased ornament seen in American decorative arts of the pre-Civil War. Because it required more silver to create the raised decorations, it would also have been more expensive for the customer.

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