Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology

Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology - Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Paper No. 47 [Smithsonian Institution]

Figure 1.Miniature ship presented to Adm. Robert E. Peary by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Loan of Robert E. Peary. In Division of Naval History. (Acc. 52878, cat. 12185; Smithsonian photo 45992.) As a social document, the collection of presentation pieces, mostly silver, in the United States National Museum provides evidence of the taste and craftsmanship in America at various periods from the mid-18th century to the 1920s. Although the representative items selected for illustration confirm the view that such pieces often lack artistic merit, the collection nevertheless reveals the deedsin war, politics, technology, diplomacy, sportsthat our forebears deemed worthy of special recognition. And it helps to bring alive some figures now submerged in our ever-expanding history. The custom of giving a piece of silver to an individual in recognition of service or in appreciation of accomplishment probably began as soon as man developed the fashioning of that metal into objects. Such a presentation piece was a tangible 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 recognition accorded to an ancestor, and they were preserved long after the more customary family silver had worn out or been lost. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 29234
Author: Klapthor, Margaret Brown
Release Date: Jun 25, 2009
Format: eBook
Language: English