Elkington & Co.
Inkstand

Public Domain

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Maker Elkington & Co.English, 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

On view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

METALWORK

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.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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