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Victorian Silver Plate Napkin Rings
The Victorian silver plated (electroplated) napkin ring was at one time a standard accessory at the well-appointed dining table, used for both special occasions and everyday meals.
Napkin rings as we know them came into vogue in the Victorian period. The idea of a napkin ring is first mentioned in print in an 1838 magazine devoted to needlework. The first patent for napkin rings was issued in 1869. The 1867 Meriden Brittania Company catalog featured fifteen designs for napkin rings.
True Victorian figural napkin rings were manufactured between the 1870's and the late 1890's and largely disappeared by the turn of the twentieth century. Today, these authentic napkin rings are priced according to their rarity and quality.
As for the appearance of napkin rings, the Art Division of the New York Public Library writes: "According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known appearance of the term `napkin ring' in literature was on page 275 in a book entitled Workwoman's Guide, published in London in 1838. This handbook of needlework, knitting, etc. contained directions for knitting `checked napkin rings' to be stiffened with wire or buckram. Although the appearance of napkin rings in literature does not prove the date of their origin, it might be a clue as to the period in which they came into general use."
From the company's "Order Book, 1865-66," shows that: "In 1865 Rogers and Brothers was one of the largest company customers, ordering 416 baskets, 32 pitchers, 37 fruit baskets, 25 vases, 38 syrups, 184 caster frames, 103 butter dishes, 28 urns, 307 goblets, 24 card stands, 131 napkin rings, 104 cups, 70 tea sets, and a large number of other items."
The Historical Research Library, The International Silver Company, a merger of early silversmiths in that area, reports: "We have looked back to our earliest catalogs dated 1853 and 1855 and there were no napkin rings listed at that time. Our next catalog is dated 1860 and there are three styles listed but not illustrated. These three were Oval, Concave, and Octagon, and they could be purchased plain or engraved. In 1871, the rings were still just plain bands, but by 1879 the era of very fancy napkin rings had set in and this period lasted until the 1890s. There were not only individual napkin rings but the rings were made in combination with other pieces such as a vase, butter dishes, or salts and peppers. Birds, animals and children were all very fashionable and the rings of this period were all very elaborate; many people have a hobby of collecting them."
The use of napkin rings was revived by some persons in the White House during the Eisenhower Administration as revealed by the Washington (D.C.) Sunday Star in its February 22, 1959 issue: "Although the Navy 'mess' at the White House was long for `men only,' it is now open to three women staff members. . . . Regulars at the `mess' have their own napkin rings, too, with their name in gold letters."
It may be of some historical interest to record the brief statement of Good Housekeeping in their issue of December 1956: "The first table napkin made its appearance in Reims, France, in the court of Charles VII. From the beginning of the fifteenth century, napkins were a luxury, lace-trimmed and elaborately embroidered. They were used exclusively in the palaces of kings and princes. Later, in the seventeenth century, they began to play an important decorative part in table setting-folded and pleated to represent birds, flowers, and the like."
A napkin ring usually had a monogram of a name or initials of a household member engraved on it so that the napkin in it could be reserved for that particular diner, and reused from meal to meal. Now days, many fine households have their family initial or name engraved on their fine silver.
Many silver and silverplate napkin rings were simple cylinders, but the form was elaborated on significantly, eventually incorporating sculpted figures and intricate decorations into the design.
The James W. Tufts Company, one of the finest makers of silverplated napkin rings and other figurals, was the only company to consistently use the same sequence of numbers in their different types of plated articles. Tufts' silverplate napkin rings were always marked with the numbers 1400-1699.
Antique and Victorian silver plate napkin holders exist in a great variety of styles. Silver-plated examples are moderately priced, and an interesting and varied collection can be assembled for your own dining needs.
Collectors should seek out examples of antique silverplate napkin rings that have spirited ornamentation or fanciful features as they have the greatest interest to your guests and will appreciate more quickly than relatively plain silver plated napkin rings.
