Egg Spoon

Maker: Tiffany & Co.
Material: Sterling with a gold wash bowl.
Year: 1860-1867
Size: 4 5/8 inches long
2012.09.04 Gift of Mrs. Linda Grizzard Tiffany

Having belonged to Adelicia, this egg spoon was designed by John Polhemus in 1860, then manufactured by Tiffany & Co. of New York. John Polhemus (active 1833-1877) was a famous New York silversmith who worked for Tiffany, among other firms. Purchased by Adelicia before 1867, the egg spoon is in the “Armor” pattern, and today considered very rare. Most likely her spoon would have been part of a larger set of six or twelve egg spoons. Often such specialized sets would not have been part of a larger set of flatware, but purchased separately. The introduction of a specialized spoon for eating soft boiled eggs in an egg cup marked the beginning of the specialization in silver flatware in the nineteenth century.

The spoon passes from Adelicia Acklen to her son Joseph H. Acklen, to his daughter Pauline Acklen Landis, to her daughter Pauline Landis Grizzard, to her daughter Linda Grizzard Tiffany, to Belmont Mansion Association.

Engraved on the front “AA,” marked on the back with “Tiffany & Co.” and “Patent 1860.”