Silver vessels were first presented as yachting trophies in the 1840s. The earliest datable example of these prizes is a simple water pitcher awarded for the New York Yacht Club Subscription Stakes in 1846.  Three years later the Bayou Bend goblet functioned as a promotion for Captain Dan Hickok’s new hotel, the Franklin House in New Orleans. The Daily Picayune announced, “The prizes to be disposed of at Capt. Dan Hickok's regatta on Wednesday, may be seen at the Verandah. They are, without doubt, the most splendid prizes that have yet been contended for in any of our sailing matches. The regatta promises to be a magnificent affair.”

Technical notes: The goblet is assembled from four components: foot, stem, bowl bottom, and bowl sides.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff.  American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.