Maker: Samuel Kirk & Sons (1815-1979)
Objects: Serving Waiter, Kent County (1 of 2)
Date: 1906
Medium: Sterling Silver
Dimensions: Overall height, 1 ½; Overall length (eagle to eagle), 12 ½; Overall width (foot to foot), 13”
Accession number: MSA SC 1545-0919-1
Kent County is represented by a pair of footed serving waiters engraved with the “USSM” monogram. Kent was first mentioned as a county in 1642, only a few years after the founding of the colony in 1634. It is named for the county of the same name bordering the English Channel in southeastern England.
Although each server is engraved with four different scenes, the overall appearance of the dishes is identical. Two eagles adorn the sides of the server, while the medallions of the Great Seal and the Cruiser appear respectively on the top and bottom. Sprays of oak, yellow pine, chestnut, tobacco, goldenrod, and corn surround the seal and Cruiser, while cornucopias also flank the seal.
Scenes across the top (left to right):
1. Washington College (number 128)
2. Great Seal of Maryland
3. Claiborne’s Fort on Kent Island (number 125)
Scenes across the bottom (right to left)
1. Caulk’s Field Monument (number 126)
2. USS Maryland Cruiser
3. Captain John Smith’s Voyage up the Chesapeake Bay (number 127)