Spoon 1810 - 1830

This silver spoon was crafted by S. Musgrove, an American silversmith who lived and worked during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In this period, the burgeoning United States was dealing with questions about class, labor and trade. As a utilitarian object elevated to art, this spoon invites us to consider the intersections of domesticity, labor, and status. Note its refined shape and the delicate engraving, signifying ownership and wealth. In a society still marked by deep inequalities, owning such a spoon could represent upward mobility and the aspirations of a new merchant class. How does the spoon's simple elegance complicate our understanding of early American life, which for many included enslavement and servitude? Even an object as quotidian as a spoon can offer insight into the complexities of identity and social structure.