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Silver Plated Airplane-Themed Tableware, Circa 1910

Offered by: The Great Republic

Description
This is a beautiful silver-plated egg cup and spoon set with an airplane motif, dating to the early 1910s. The set includes four matching footed egg cups. The cups sit upon the stacked wings of a biplane. Four small egg spoons accompany the set. The set was made by James Dixon & Son, 14 St. Andrews Street, Holborn Circus, London.

The 19th century saw an increased fascination with aviation, thanks in part to hot air ballooning and the invention of Zeppelin dirigibles. But flight as we know it today, in fixed-wing airplanes, began in the early 20th century, as entrepreneurs and engineers including William E. Boeing, Donald Douglas Sr., James H. "Dutch" Kindelberger, and James S. McDonnell began to build on what the Wright Brothers had started not so long before. This hunger and fascination for all things aviation found its way to popular design, from advertisements to clothing designs to table settings.

Herbert Johnson discusses this phenomena in his book Wingless Eagle: U.S. Army Aviation through World War I: “…Even men’s haberdashery was impressed with an aeronautical stamp. The November 1910 Collier’s offered for sale two styles of Silver Band collars: one that was 2 1/8 inches high was named the Biplane; the taller collar, 2 3/8 inches high, was denominated the Monoplane… An Adler-Rochester Clothes ad featured a male model posed at the open door of an airplane factory, presumably discussing flying with another well-dressed aeronaut…The most ingenious use of aviation motif was probably the advertisement of the International Correspondence Schools, America’s largest mail-order educational institution. Their 1913 advertisement depicted a flying airplane to which was appended the slogan, “Nothing Is Impossible to Men with Ambition”.

CONDITION:

This silver-plated egg and spoon set is in very good condition, and comes in its full set with no missing pieces. Wear is consistent with age and gentle use. No significant areas of tarnish. Hallmarked along back tail wing.

Dimensions: 4 1/4" H x 7 1/2" W x 8 1/2" D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.