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Moustache spoon
John Round & Son Ltd. - Enlarge image
Moustache spoon
- Place of origin:
Sheffield (made)
- Date:
1904 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
John Round & Son Ltd. (manufacturer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Silver
- Museum number:
M.18-2000
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, Room 122b, case 2
Object Type
This spoon is a typical example of a piece of Victorian specialist cutlery. It was developed for one purpose only. Many Victorian gentlemen followed the fashion for large moustaches which could be disfigured by food. This special spoon was made with a guard on one side of the bowl to protect the moustache when eating soup. Some of the spoons had detachable guards for general use and examples were made for both right and left handed users.
Manufacturers
The spoon was manufactured by the firm of John Round & Son Ltd. They described themselves as 'The largest Spoon and Fork Makers in the World ' and although their factory was in Sheffield, the main showrooms were in London. They made cutlery in electroplated nickel silver (nickel alloy coated with a thin layer of silver by means of an electric current) as well as silver, and supplied ships, hotels, and clubs as well as the home.