Souvenir spoon: Hebrew
Wallingford, Connecticut
1897-1920
Maker
R. Wallace & Sons (inc. 1879)
George H. Ford Company (jewelry retailer in New Haven, 1897-1988)
Measurements
4-1/8 in x 1 in x 5/8 in
Materials
Silver and enamel
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.
Accession Number
1971.1084
Inscription
“R.W.S.CO.”, “STERLING”, and “THE GEORGE H. FORD CO.” are stamped into the back of the handle.
Provenance
Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner
Comments
The only "souvenir"-like decoration on this spoon appears at the handle tip. It has a square panel with an outlining band in deep blue that encloses what appear to be Hebrew letters referencing "Light and Life" or "Light of Life." The lower half of the handle has been modeled to suggest it has been twisted, although the back of the handle, where it was marked by the maker and retailer, is flat.
The George H. Ford Company was a jewelry business that traded from 1897-1988. It was located in George Hare Ford's (1848 - 1923) building on the southeast corner of State and Chapel streets in New Haven, Connecticut. New Haven supported the first and largest Jewish communities in Connecticut. It was home to the first Jewish congregation in Connecticut, established in 1840, although state law banned Jewish societies until 1843.
