Elkington & Co.
Inkstand

MakerEnglish, active 1829–1963
CultureEnglish
Titles
  • Inkstand
Datec. 1864–1865
Made inBirmingham, England
MediumSilver and glass
Dimensions13 3/4 × 26 × 9 1/2 in. (34.9 × 66 × 24.1 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of the estate of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.76.186.A-.C
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Metals Study Room
Exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionThis large and showy inkstand was made as a tribute to Liverpool cotton merchant James Spence for his role in organizing a bazaar in 1864 to raise money for the relief of Confederate prisoners of war. Liverpool was an important center of the British cotton industry, which bought large quantities of raw cotton grown and harvested by enslaved laborers in Confederate states to be woven into cloth. As a result, Liverpool largely supported the Confederate cause. Engraved on the inkstand are the names of the Confederate states, important Civil War battles, and the names of Confederate leaders and commanders. Also decorated with images of the cotton plant, this object makes clear the commodity’s central role the international political economy of the time, but without acknowledging the role of enslaved workers to produce it.
Provenance[Garrard & Co., London]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, May 1, 1967; Estate of Miss Ima Hogg, 1975; by bequest to MFAH, 1976.

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