posted 03-21-2008 10:32 AM            

Article continued from Shiebler's Floral Flatware, Part 1: Flora - post 1 of 7(click here)

Although most pieces of Flora are marked "PAT'D. 89" (see later discussion), until now no one has published documentation that the pattern was, in fact, patented. In the nineteenth century, it was not unusual for manufacturers to mark their silver as patented just to scare off would-be copiers. A search of the United States Patent Office files for the year 1889 revealed six patents filed November 4, 1889, and granted December 17, 1889, to "George W. Shiebler, inventor," each for a "design for a handle for spoons, &c.," with a different floral motif on the two sides.(12) The flowers were identified in the text of the applications as follows:

D 19, 98 � Buttercup (obverse) and Primrose (reverse)
D 19,499 � Pink 13 (obverse) and Passion Flower (reverse)
D 19, 00 � Wild Rose (obverse) and Pansy (reverse)
D 19, 01 � Narcissus (obverse) and Violet (reverse)
D 19, 0 � Geranium (obverse) and Forget-me-not (reverse)
D 19, 03 � Pond-lily (obverse) and Lily-of-the-valley (reverse)
(Figure 3 (see below).

These are the twelve motifs found on Flora teaspoons (Figure 2 (see below)) and other pieces utilizing teaspoon-size handles, such as orange spoons and ramekin forks - all single die-struck, rather than double die-struck as proposed in the patent applications. A search of the Patent Office records of 1890 and 1891 turned up no additional granted patents for motifs in Flora.

Article continues in Shiebler's Floral Flatware, Part 1: Flora - post 3 of 7(click here)

Fig. 2. Twelve teaspoons in Shiebler-s Flora. Their order left-to-right corresponds to the number of their handle motif, 1 to 12 (see Figure 1). All teaspoons except no. 9 are courtesy of Antique Cupboard.


Fig. 3. Design drawing accompanying patent application D 19,503, granted December 17, 1889, for the design for a double die-struck teaspoon credited to George W. Shiebler.
Fig. 1(top) is the design for the Pond-lily motif on the spoon's obverse. Fig. 2 (bottom) is the design for the Lily-of-the-valley motif on the spoon's reverse.

Article continues in Shiebler's Floral Flatware, Part 1: Flora - post 3 of 7(click here)