Object Type
New implements for serving fish were developed in the early 18th century as part of a gradual process in which dining equipment became more specialised and diners increasingly distanced from direct contact with their food. Eating with the fingers came to be considered less polite than using such implements, and touching food, or using your own cutlery, while serving others was especially frowned on. By the Victorian period dining had become quite a complex ritual, but a wealth of information published in the form of cookery and etiquette books allowed the host and guest of a dinner party to use the implements arrayed in front of them correctly.

Design & Designing
The earliest fish servers were shaped like a trowel, but in the latter part of the 18th century new designs began to appear, such as oblong or boat shapes. Later the blade became asymmetrical, as in this example. The servers were always elaborately decorated with pierced and engraved ornament, which could reflect the function of the object, as here with the design of fish and water reeds and shells. By the mid-19th century it was common for a fork to accompany the server. The handles of these fish carvers began to follow the flatware patterns of the day so that consumers could buy matching table cutlery. In 1869 boxed sets of knife and fork carvers could be bought from the manufacturers Elkington & Co. for prices ranging from just over £1 to nearly £4, including a case lined with velvet. To prevent spoiling the taste of the fish, the servers were usually made with a silver blade.

Manufacturer
Chawner & Co. were the most important firm of silver spoon and fork manufacturers in Victorian London, supplying the top end of the retailing trade as well as smaller firms throughout the country. As this fish carver shows, the quality of the workmanship was outstanding. Under the name of the proprietor, George Adams, the business exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the International Exhibition of 1862.