Artifact: Dessert Spoon
Materials: Silver gilt
Dimensions: 1/2 x 7 x 1 1/2 in.
Date: Circa 1740
Origin: London
Collection: LACMA
License: Public Domain
Ledger Entry: Dessert Spoon
Department: Foodways
Customer: Captain Charles Broadwater
Ledger Page: 70
Imported From:
Product Description
A spoon is a type of flatware with a small, shallow bowl and an oval or round handle. Spoons were used primarily for serving, but also for food preparation to measure, mix, stir and toss ingredients. They were commonly used for tea service. Metal spoons were the most common, although occasionally handles were ornamented with ceramic or other inlays.
Citation: Helen Clifford, "Knives, Forks and Spoons, 1600-1830," in Elegant Eating: Four Hundred Years of Dining in Style, ed. Philippa Glanville and Hilary Young (London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002), 60-63.;
Historical Price: 2 shillings, 2 pence for 1 dozen; Modern USD: $24.2
Product Variations
The databases record thirty-two purchases of spoons. These purchases ranged from single soup spoons up to sets of a dozen pieces although the most common quantity of spoons was half a dozen. Many of the spoons were made of pewter. One set of silver tea accouterments was purchased including spoons, tongs, and a strainer. The cost of spoons ranges from twelve pence for one soup spoon to thirteen pence for half a dozen spoons.
