Grandmother's Spoons

I inherited a group of sterling souvenir spoons that my Nana collected on her honeymoon in 1909. A souvenir spoon is a decorative spoon bought as a memento of a place or to display to show that you have visited that location. Collecting these spoons isn’t really popular anymore and they don’t make sterling souvenir spoons like these now. These spoons were passed down to my mother and then to me. I can actually remember us using them a few times when I was growing up. It is amazing that they didn’t suffer damage from teeth! My Nana and Grandfather took a six weeks honeymoon trip across the country by train from California to the East Coast and back in 1909. I found a brief newspaper article that mentioned their journey.

The spoons were in major need of polishing so I recently got them out and gave them some needed attention.

This sterling spoon has the Mormon Temple in the bowl with the words, Temple, Salt Lake City. The handle shows The Tabernacle, Eagle Gate, Maroni, the word Utah, and some flowers.

The back of the spoon has a shield with an eagle and bee hive and 1847 as well as male figures, (one probably Brigham Young) and a group of oxen pulling a cart with another bee hive, and the year 1847 again. All these symbols have significance in the history of the founding of Salt Lake City by members of the Mormon Church. The spoon is labeled sterling with no other mark.

The next sterling spoon has a gold washed bowl. The bowl is engraved with the words, Balanced Rock, Garden of the Gods, near Manitou & Colorado Springs. The handle has a figure of a Native American.

The back of the spoon has a figure of a female Native American and a papoose as well as other Native American elements. It is labeled N S Co Sterling. It was made by the National Silver Company probably between 1900 and 1909.

This sterling spoon from Yellowstone Park has Old Faithful Inn engraved in the bowl. The Inn was built between 1903 and 1904 so this spoon was made between then and 1909 when Nana was there. The handle has a bear, deer, and buffalo and the words Yellowstone Park on the handle.

The back of the spoon has engravings of Great Falls, Golden Gate, and Old Faithful. It is labeled sterling and the mark is an H inside a flag. This is the mark for the Mechanics Sterling Company in Attleboro, Massachusetts. This spoon was probably made between 1896 and 1909.

I love sterling spoons that have detailed bowls like this one does. Nana bought it in Chicago and the bowl is engraved with U.S. Government Building. (The Chicago Federal Building was built between 1898 and 1905 and was demolished in 1965.) The bowl also has the Public Library, Fort Dearborn, and Entrance Union Stock Yards. The word Chicago is on a ribbon in the center. The handle shows the Auditorium, Masonic Temple, and Douglass Monument.

The back of the spoon shows Fort Dearborn again, some ears of corn, the word sterling and an H in a flag, the mark for the Mechanics Sterling Company in Attleboro, Massachusetts. This spoon was probably made between 1896 and 1909.

Nana bought this spoon in New Orleans. The bowl is engraved with an image of the Cabildo building in New Orleans. When my Nana was in New Orleans in 1909, the Cabildo was part of the Louisiana State Museum however it had a long history before that time as an administrative seat of the Spanish Crown and the City of New Orleans. The handle shows the face of Bienville. Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville was a colonist, born in Montreal, New France, and an early, repeated governor of French Louisiana. The handle also shows the Court House, the Cotton Exchange, a cotton plant, and the Lee Monument.

The back of the New Orleans spoon has City Hall, St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Monument, and Old Gateway and a plant I don’t recognize. The spoon is labeled sterling with an H in a flag, another spoon made by the Mechanics Sterling Company in Attleboro, Massachusetts. This spoon was probably made between 1896 and 1909.

These spoons are some of my most cherished possessions. My Nana died when I was 6 and I have no memories of her. I love knowing that she bought these spoons on her honeymoon and they now belong to me.

June Weddings in Vintage Linens

I have a collection of vintage linens, needlepoint, embroidery, and other handwork. Because in the past June was traditionally the most popular month for weddings (now it’s August), I decided to share a few of my pieces that illustrate weddings. How I appreciate the time that was spent on these special pieces. It would be fun to frame some in some way.

This is a series of dish towels that depict the wedding day. Here is the bride coming down the stairs ready to wed. Some of these vintage patterns are still for sale so it is difficult to determine what is vintage and what is not but I don’t care. I just really love the visuals.

The bride with her flower girl.

The flower girl but it looks like it wasn’t finished.

The Bride and Groom.

Cutting the cake.

Another dish towel series depicting a courtship and marriage. Here is the proposal. I love the background details.

The formal wedding portrait.

Off to the honeymoon. Love the details on the clothing.

Now a family and on a walk. Love all the details here. I really should use all these dish towels but I don’t have the heart to, at least not for now!

This is a small square tablecloth with wedding related images in the four corners.

These were used sometimes over small tables set for card games or tea parties.

These small guest towels aren’t wedding related but they are fun to share. I put them out sometimes for guests.

This is a fun hankie that depicts the different traditional gifts given for each wedding anniversary.

An unusual humorous hankie that illustrates a marriage game with circles for the scores. This may be from the late 50’s or early 60’s. I love the bold colors on this one. I bought all these items at antique malls or on Ebay. I don’t collect anymore, I have run out of room!

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Hanging Vintage Hankies

Many years ago I started collecting vintage hankies. It started when I found a poinsettia Christmas hankie in my mother’s things after she died. I remembered her carrying it. Soon after I was wandering around an antique mall and found another one, and why have one when you can have two…or three or… They were easy to store, inexpensive, and fun to look for when out and about because you didn’t find them that often. Then Ebay came along and they were too easy to find and there were too many collectors driving up the prices so I stopped collecting. But meanwhile I have a very large collection of hankies. Some are so pretty that I decided to frame them, some permanently, and some that are changed out from time to time. I bought a few large and small frames that I use over and over and the background is heavy white paper. This one is a larger Valentine hankie and it is on the wall in the guest room year round but I have some that I swap out for different holidays and seasons. I really love the graphics on this one and the red and blue color combination. I also use hankies as table top decorations sometimes.

I used to hang this one during the Fall season sometimes. I also have a large collection of hankies that are shaped like different leaves in different colors and sometimes I put one of those up as well. Some of these hankies are a bit crooked but I didn’t take the time to straighten them. Some are an odd shape anyway and can’t be straightened!

For a while years ago I hung my hankies as a valance over my kitchen window changing them depending on the season or holiday. I put these up every fall for a few years until we remodeled the kitchen.

Not a great photo but the only one I could find of these hankies. I have about 100 different poinsettia hankies. My mother loved poinsettias and these remind me of her whenever I see them.

This is a large frame with just a heavy white paper background and I swap out hankies depending on the season or holiday. I put this one up at Christmas time. It is one of my favorites.

This is a smaller hankie that was sold by McCalls magazine apparently. It hangs in my guest room at Christmas time because the tree in there always has a gingerbread and candy theme. I used a red frame for this one.

This one is another Christmas favorite that hangs in the hall during the holidays.

I have several California Souvenir hankies and I have framed a couple for our bedroom. I love the colorful graphics.

You can still find vintage hankies on Ebay and in antique malls although some of the best designs have been snatched up by collectors over the years. When I was buying them they were each a dollar or two but now some of the most prized and unusual ones can cost $20 to $30 and up because there are so few of them left.

I started a Facebook Group, Vintage Hankies, Handkerchiefs, https://www.facebook.com/groups/897980928627111 to share photos of my hankies. I am hoping that others will join and share their hankies too!

The Humble Cocktail Napkin

Many years ago I created a collection of unusual vintage cloth cocktail napkins which is ironic because I am not really a drinker. I was attracted to their colors, their humorous and witty sayings, and their small size. I read that the first cocktail napkins were created in ancient China for tea cups. Their use in the United States developed and increased with the rise of cocktail drinking during Prohibition and in the 1940’s and 1950’s. With the increased use of paper napkins, cloth cocktail napkins fell out of favor, housewives didn’t want to wash and iron them constantly. The one above is part of a series illustrated by Carl Tait. He was an illustrator who decorated vintage linens and his creations are now very popular and in high demand.

These can still be used not only for cocktails but other drinks as well and they are quite a conversation piece when they appear. I also think any of them would be really cute if they were framed alone or as a group.

These might have been used for serving cocktails while playing bridge or other card games. I don’t think they are vintage but I have seen vintage ones like these before.

I love the expressions on the ladies’ faces and all the different hats!

The images were just drawn on the fabric. That bird is a wonder!

She is well put together, the flowers on her dress, the earrings, the hat!

Love the hanging cherries!

These cocktail napkins have designs that appear to be appliques that were attached by hand. I love the story the set tells and the added anatomical embellishments!

The handwork is amazing, such tiny stitches!

I have a whole series of sayings like this one but some are not appropriate to share!

Another series with appliques, I love all the different fabric that was used. These however have an added surprise as the next photos show.

I have another somewhat similar series but they are a bit risque so I won’t share them.

Because I am a second generation Californian, (both my parents were born here too), I was really happy to find these. There are several in the series.

I suggest watching for cocktail napkins and using them, for whatever drink you serve!

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