Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology / Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Paper No. 47 [Smithsonian Institution]

by Margaret Brown Klapthor

TO MARY TODD LINCOLN

The Museum recently received a silver service ([fig. 10]) that belonged to Mary Todd Lincoln. The service consists of a large oval tray, a hot-water urn on a stand with a burner, coffeepot, teapot, hot-water pot, cream pitcher, sugar urn, and waste bowl. All the pieces have an overall repoussé floral and strapwork pattern with the monogram “MTL” on one side and an engraved crest on the other. The crest seems to be an adaptation of the Todd family crest. The pieces are marked with a lion, an anchor, and an old English “G,” which are the early marks of the Gorham Silver Company. It is assumed that this silver service was a presentation gift to Mrs. Lincoln during the time she was First Lady of the White House, as a letter dated July 19, 1876, from her to her son Robert Todd Lincoln calls his attention to a silver service in his possession that was a gift to her from “the Citizens of New York.”