Leonard and Wilson
Calling Card Case

Public Domain

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Images(2)

Maker Leonard and Wilson(Philadelphia, active 1847–1850)Philadelphia, active 1847–1850

CultureAmerican

Titles

Calling Card Case

Datec. 1847–1850

Made inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

MediumSilver

Dimensions3 1/2 × 2 1/2 × 5 in. (8.9 × 6.4 × 12.7 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by George S. Heyer, Jr. in honor of Wallace S. Wilson at "One Great Night in November, 2004"

Object numberB.2004.43

Current Location

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Metals Study Room

Exposé

Explore Further

Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

METALWORK

DescriptionThis diminutive silver case, intended for calling cards, is notable for incorporating into its design a nationalistic symbol—the American bald eagle. These cases are believed to have evolved from the eighteenth-century English tablet, or writing case, and in the nineteenth century were intended for the obligatory cards left when paying social calls. The custom was popular in American society between the 1850s and 1920s. The case employs the latest technology, which enabled silver manufacturers to emboss sheet silver to create the elaborate designs. This example is notable for its patriotic imagery.
Provenance[Constantine Gus Kollitus, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 2004.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Stamped on the interior rim of lid in a rectangle: L & W

Engraved in a cartouche on the lid of floral side: A R(?) H

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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