Although marked by New York silversmith Jeremiah Wool, these salts closely resemble examples made by London silversmiths David Hennell I and Robert Hennell I. They were likely imported from England for resale.

Daniel Christian Fueter, a Swiss goldsmith and political refugee, arrived in New York from London in 1754. After migratory trips to Connecticut and Pennsylvania he settled in New York in 1763, where he set up a gold and silversmithing operation. He returned to Switzerland in 1770.

This cann belonged to Charles Keating Tuckerman (1821-1896), the U.S. Minister to Greece, 1862-1872.

This beaker was originally owned by Captain Hendrick Van Rensselaer (ca. 1554-1602), who died during the siege of Ostend, a bloody three-year battle between the Dutch and the Spanish for control of the United Provinces. Hendrick was father of the first patroon of Rensselaerswyck, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer (ca. 1580-1643). The engraving on the underside suugests that it was used during convivial gatherings of men. It translates loosely: "When one sings songs, beware and take care; better spare your wisdom for other times."

This bowl is engraved with the initials of Henry Rutgers (1712-1779) and his wife, Catherine De Peyster (1711-after 1775), who may have received it upon their marriage in 1732. The bowl descended for five generations in a direct line, primarily through daughters. The heirloom retained a certain mystique among its later owners; Mary Conger Vanamee, the bowl's sixth owner, contrived an entire narrative around the object for a chapter of her 1938 book, New York's Making, Seen through the Eyes of My Ancestors. Mrs. Vanamee's book held particular interest for another De Peyster descendent, Waldron Phoenix Belknap, Jr., a distant cousin and avid collector of family portraits and silver heirlooms. Mrs. Vanamee, who settled in England, decided to give the bowl to Belknap during WWII to bring to America for safekeeping, to convey it "from this turmoil to the comparative peace of its homeland."

According to its original bill of sale, this mug was ordered by Benjamin White (1755-1841) from New York silversmith John Vernon on September 12, 1794, along with a sugar dish, milk pot, tea tongs, and six "table spoons" and "tea spoons" (also at N-YHS). Silver for the "mugg" cost £4.0.3, and its "fash[ion]n[ing]" or construction, £2.8. The engraved initials on the mug suggest that White, a merchant from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, purchased it for his own use. As the invoice shows, the material used for silver goods was far more expensive than the labor.

This set of salt cellars and salt spoons belonged to Anna Floyd, daughter of General William Floyd of the Revolutionary War and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Anna Floyd married George Clinton in 1808.

This set of salt cellars and salt spoons belonged to Anna Floyd, daughter of General William Floyd of the Revolutionary War and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Anna Floyd married George Clinton in 1808.

This set of salt cellars and salt spoons belonged to Anna Floyd, daughter of General William Floyd of the Revolutionary War and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Anna Floyd married George Clinton in 1808.

This set of salt cellars and salt spoons belonged to Anna Floyd, daughter of General William Floyd of the Revolutionary War and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Anna Floyd married George Clinton in 1808.