Samuel Kirk
Tongs

MakerAmerican, 1793–1872
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Tongs
Datec. 1824–1829
Made inBaltimore, Maryland, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Miss Ima Hogg and The Friends of Bayou Bend
Object numberB.71.90
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Metals Study Room
Exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionSamuel Kirk, the best known and most prolific of Maryland’s silversmiths, was so successful that by 1828 over 90 percent of the silver submitted to the Baltimore assay office was of his manufacture. In 1846, Samuel brought a son into his business and styled its name as Samuel Kirk & Son. A second son joined in 1861, and the firm became Samuel Kirk & Sons. The brand survives today as Kirk-Stieff, though all operations in Baltimore ceased in 1999.
Provenance[Peter Hill, Washington, D.C.]; purchased by MFAH, 1970.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Engraved: LBI
Mark of Samuel Kirk [Goldsborough et. al. 1983, p. 29, fig. 5]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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