June 8, 2023
Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about her collection of souvenir spoons, begun by her mother. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
Does your family have a souvenir spoon collection? Maybe at a family member’s home, or your own, there is a spoon holder attached to a wall that showcases tiny spoons from places where the family has traveled. My collection, started by my mom, includes spoons she collected in Europe as well as ones I’ve picked up over the years.
These easily ignored souvenir trinkets actually have an interesting history, and they may reflect on your ancestor’s travels and interests.
American Souvenir Spoons
Souvenir spoons have their origin in mid-19th century Europe. “Wealthy Americans on a Grand Tour of Europe brought home these souvenirs marked with the names of cities and some of the famous landmarks they had seen.” (1) Eventually American silversmiths caught on to the idea. The first American souvenir spoon was created in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s presidency. (2)
A few American souvenir spoons existed in 1890, and by 1891 souvenir spoons had been created to commemorate “cities and towns, famous people, historical events and significant events of the time.” (3)
One example is described in this 1891 Plain Dealer article that proclaimed the souvenir spoon craze was increasing. The article begins by discussing one of the earlier American souvenir spoons depicting the Salem (Massachusetts) witches, in response to a poem by Oliver Wendall Homes published in the Atlantic Monthly. The spoon is described as having a straight handle “like a broomstick, and at its upper end was a tiny figure of a Salem witch sitting on a rock and holding a broom diagonally across her breast.”
The article discussed other local souvenir spoons for Boston (with a bean pot on the handle and the old South church in the bowl), Plymouth (with the Mayflower), and Newburyport (with the old chain bridge).
According to the website for the PBS show History Detectives, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair marked the golden age of souvenir spoon collecting and introduced spoons to an audience of 27 million visitors. (4) Prior to the fair an estimated 180,000 spoons were ordered, but it was believed that 500,000 were eventually produced for the concessions.
This 1893 Trenton Times article refers to 100 designs for the Fair, and a search of an online auction website shows numerous spoons that depict Christopher Columbus and the words “1893 World’s Fair,” with the bowl of the spoon depicting various buildings at the Fair, such as Manufacturers & Liberal Arts, the Art Palace, the Administration Building, the Mines and Mining Building, as well as others.
Why were souvenir spoons so popular? This 1893 Buffalo News article describing a variety of spoons stated:
“The spoon is a pretty lasting and suitable gift for either a lady or a gentleman friend upon almost any occasion. When other gifts have decayed with fashion fancies or worn out with wear, the spoon will still adorn the table of the sick room as a happy reminder of the thoughtful giver.”
Collecting Spoons
Today, you might find souvenir spoons at an airport or a tourist gift shop – but when they began, spoons were sold by jewelers, silversmiths, and even given away as a premium by newspapers. This example from 1893 is for the Columbian Souvenir Spoon (the 1893 World’s Fair was called the Columbian Exposition, celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the “New World”). This premium was given to those who subscribed or renewed to the Weekly Wisconsin newspaper and the Ladies Home Companion for $1. Subscribers received the spoon as a free gift.
Other newspapers also offered souvenir spoons as premiums or for purchase, including sets of spoons for each of the states.
If your ancestor collected spoons, they may have joined a souvenir spoon club. In this 1906 example from Duluth, Minnesota, the club members met at different homes to play cards and the hostess would receive a spoon.
Genealogy Tip: Local club activity notices in newspapers can be helpful in learning more about your ancestor’s interests and memberships. In some cases, it might even lead to records.
Did Your Family Collect Spoons?
It appears the golden age of souvenir spoons ended after World War I. That doesn’t mean people no longer collected them, they just weren’t as much of a fad as they had been previously. Why? I’m not sure, but it’s possible other collectibles took their place.
Did your family collect spoons? What’s in their collection? What can you learn about their interest or travels from their spoons? Please let me know in the comments below.
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Note on the header image: souvenir spoon from Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C. Credit: John Phelan; Wikimedia Commons.
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(1) “History of Souvenir Spoons,” History Detectives (https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/history-of-souvenir-spoons/: accessed 30 May 2023).
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
Awesome! My mom, also, started collecting spoons during a trip from Minnesota to California in 1972. I have continued to do so, but they are no longer as easy to obtain in some tourist areas. I also have a few that others gave me from their travels. Almost four racks full. Very happy to see this article.
Thanks, Gwen! You’re right. It’s not easy to find spoons today. Once in a great while, I find them in gift shops.
Have you considered taking your mom’s spoons and writing about her trip?
Thanks for taking the time to comment.–Gena
Yes, I have spoons my Mum collected. Fiji Islands is one of the more exotic. She came from Australia to Canada in the forties during WW2. I have added a few but not in recent years. They are fun to look at, especially when they need polishing.
Marguerite, they are fun to look at! It sounds like you have inherited a great international collection. Thanks for sharing them with us.
My husband’s great-aunt collected souvenir spoons. She had so many that when she died and they were shared out among the family, we each got 10 to 20 spoons. I still have our share and use them when I have company. They are always quite a conversation piece! I have bought a few myself but they are not sterling like Great-Aunt Laura’s and they are demi-tasse size, not teaspoon size, so not really useful.
Wow! Virginia, she must have had a large collection. I like that everyone received a few to remember her by. That’s a great idea. Thanks for commenting!
I have collected spoons since I was 7 years old. I was on vacation with my family and my grandmother had a rather large collection at the time. After her passing, I was gifted her collection. With what I have collected over the years, they now total over 100, brightly polished and displayed.
Linda, I love that your collection combines yours and your grandmother’s. What a wonderful way to remember her. Thank you for sharing that.
I started my spoon collection in 1968 when I graduated high school. I buy a spoon wherever I go on vacation. I have three spoon racks full. I love looking at them and reminiscing about my vacations there.
Priscilla, spoons are a great way to remember travels. It sounds like you have a great collection of memories. Thanks for commenting!
While I am well aware of the travel spoon craze, my family’s collection is a bit different. Yes, there is a spoon holder on the wall in the dining room, but these spoons all have initials. My mother-in-law explained that at one time each family member had one set of cutlery. So, if something was lost or dirty, the family knew who was responsible.
When a family member died, their cutlery was retired except the spoon which was saved and placed on the top row. While I have not identified all the spoons, some belonged to ancestors born in the 18th century.
I wonder if this tradition may be the seed that sparked the collecting of locality spoons.
Su, what a family history story! I hope you’ve documented the spoons and the story behind them. I love that! And the fact they date to the 18th century is amazing. I wonder if other families have a similar tradition?
Thank you for sharing that.
My wife and I have a large collection of spoons. We started in 1968 on our honeymoon. We have maybe 200 or so.
200?! I love that this is a tradition that you and your wife share. I bet you have many memories attached to that collection. Thank you so much for commenting.
We had a spoon rack w/collector spoons hanging on the living room wall. Whenever company was expected, it was my job to polish the silver spoons — a job that I loved. The wooden rack eventually cracked and was discarded. Needless to say, I inherited the spoons. Some of the spoons have been repurposed into wearable jewelry. I believe some of the original spoons belonged to my grandmother. However, my mother did add to the collection by purchasing spoons while traveling or on vacation. She also received spoons as gifts periodically, as late as the 1950s or 60s. Thanks for this fun reminder.
I LOVE that you have repurposed some into jewelry. What a great idea! I bet some would make great charms for a charm bracelet. Thanks for sharing that with us!
Yes, my mother has 2 large racks full. Many of them were gifts from me. Aside from photographing and writing about them, do you have any suggestions for what to DO with them for someone who has no desire to display them??
Lana, one of the commenters has made jewelry with them. That’s an idea for a few from your collection. I once went to a coffee shop, and they used them when they served tea and coffee so that the customers could stir sugar in their cups. I wonder if other readers have ideas?
Thanks for asking this. I know quite a few people who have inherited large collections and aren’t sure what to do with them.
Speaking of things to do with spoons if you did not want to display them: I had an aunt who took old silverware and hammered it as flat as she could and then made wind chimes with them. She was an artist, so had an artistic mind. I can’t say they sounded like true wind chimes, but she hung them inside where they did not always blow in the wind. They were definitely a conversation piece.
My mother had 6 or 7 racks of spoons, mostly ones she collected, but also some that friends brought back from their travels, plus I added a few of them. I think she had every state and several countries. Most of the newer ones in gift shops are silverplate rather than solid silver.
What a wonderful collection Linda! Thanks for sharing that with us.
My mother collected spoons and she has a rack full in the dining room. I imagine my sister and I will eventually inherit them and I hadn’t thought about what to do with them. She got them when she traveled and sometimes people bought them for her. There’s probably something craftsy that can be done with them. I was thinking of a unique picture frame perhaps.
Sara, I love the idea of a picture frame. That would be a great way to preserve them.
I’m sure there are a number of ways you could craft with them. Maybe a search online might provide ideas. Thanks for your comment.
My mother had 352 spoons collected over 86 years. They cover a wide variety of topics from world fairs to local attractions, presidents to cartoon characters, cities, countries and national parks. The spoons are made of silver, pewter, copper, porcelain, bone or wood. Some contain gold, semi-precious stones and tiny stained glass. A few were hand-crafted; most were mass produced. The collection was so precious to her because she received most as gifts. Finding a unique spoon became a favorite part of any individual or family trip. As an adult she created a card file for each spoon with the usual facts, but more importantly, the name of the gift-giver and the story that went with each spoon.
Susan, that card file is a genealogical source! Your mom documented names and stories, what a wonderful idea.
Thanks for sharing her collection with us!
I inherited a collection started by my great grandfather, a ship’s captain who travelled the world. His collection was passed on to my grandfather and then my father — and I’ve had it for a number of years. When my family moved from the US to Australia, I collected a number of Australian antique spoons. Most have kangaroos on the finial although the ones from the state of Tasmania often have on the finial the island of Tasmania, and the bowl is a shell. I have about 150 spoons. I have to admit I haven’t done much collecting in the last five or so years.
Paul, it sounds like you have a great collection. You should write about it and include it with your family history.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Wow. That was very interesting reading about all of the spoons. I did not know about that. I do remember looking at the Antiques Roadshow on TV one Saturday afternoon. There was a little girl along with her parents who showed all of the spoons that she had collected when she and her family took a vacation to some location. The little girl sure did have a wonderful collections of spoons. I do not remember just how much the antiques dealer on the Roadshow told her the collection was worth. It was a lovely collection.
Gina, I do have a question. Have you ever written on tea cups? My mother would collect them. I do not know how many she had. When my mother passed, I packed up the tea cups and gave them to my niece.
Thank you Mary! I haven’t written about tea cups yet. Thanks for the idea. I have a collection of cups my grandmother and great-grandmother gifted me so I definitely need to write about it.