Wood & Hughes
Butter Knife

MakerAmerican, active 1845–1899
RetailerNew York, active 1823–1864
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Butter Knife
Datec. 1849
Made inNew York , New York, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Audrey Jones Beck
Object numberB.88.18
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Metals Study Room
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

In 1861, butter was first commercially produced. While critics argued that farm butter was of higher quality, the factory-produced equivalent was an acceptable alternative. Metal butter dishes, equipped with a special knife, made their first appearance during this period, while Catharine Beecher advised hostesses that when setting the table "a small plate should be placed at each place for butter. . . . ”

Related examples: B.88.16.1–.5, B.88.17.1–.3; also retailed by Samuel W Benedict, descended in the same family.

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.


ProvenanceDr. Jasper Gibbs (1810–1876) and Laura Jane Drake Gibbs (1821–1855, m. 1839), and his second wife, Sallie Candler Gibbs (1839–1928, m. 1857), Mexia, Texas; given to their daughter Mary Gibbs (Mrs. Jesse H. Jones, 1872–1962); given to her granddaughter Audrey Jones Beck (1924–2003), Houston; given to MFAH, 1988.
Exhibition HistoryLoaned to the Houston Endowment, Inc. for the permanent exhibit on Jesse H. Jones (but never displayed), February 1, 1994–June 24, 2003 (see YL.2003-15 or previous number LN:93.29).
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Engraved: J.G. [Jasper Gibbs]
Mark of Benedict [Belden 1980, p. 56]
Mark of Wood & Hughes [Belden 1980, p. 454]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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