These quadruple silver napkin rings are relics of the Victorian silver hollowware boom. Silver soup tureens, condiment sets, platters, and tableware in the dining room and toiletry items, perfume flasks, powder boxes, and hand mirrors in the bathroom were a hallmark of an established post-bellum American middle-class house. As silver items grew more fashionable, some of them lost practical application and became just another item of décor. Throughout the 19th century many families washed napkins only once a week and used napkin rings to distinguish one family member's napkin from another's. A wedding gift to Phyllis Witte's grandparents in 1895, these napkin rings are identical, serving no purpose other than to indicate the couple's status and taste. For interviews and oral histories of this and other items please visit the History Harvest YouTube Channel.
Phyllis Witte, Nebraska City History Harvest, 2010
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Phyllis Witte Discusses Silver Napkin Rings
Ms. Witte presented her heirloom napkin rings to UNL History Harvest graduate student assistant Rob Voss. You can find this and other stories on the History Harvest YouTube Channel.