Palmetto Silver
Riches of the South
McKissick Museum
Palmetto Silver is the first publication in more than a dozen years to showcase the riches
of South Carolina silver. While silver is a precious metal that can quickly be conve rted to
currency, it has a much more significant cultural value. From utilitarian flatware to decorative trophies, the many pieces included in this book provide an intriguing picture of
the individuals and history connected with the crafting of silver wares in the Palmetto
State.
Based on a 2002 exhibition by the same name at the University of South Carolina’s
McKissick Museum, Palmetto Silver is the result of several years of research and draws
heavily on items from private collections throughout the South. While much of the previous research has concentrated primarily on Charleston silver made prior to the Civil
War, the silver featured in this book highlights the work of South Carolina craftsmen
from colonial times to the twentieth century. Although many historians previously theorized that most silver items used in the South were imported from merchants and
workshops in New England or even from Great Britain, Palmetto Silver presents recent
findings that indicate there were many highly skilled silversmiths working throughout
the state during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
An introductory essay by Rodger Stroup, director of the South Carolina
Department of Archives and History, sets the historical context for these objects and
provides insight into the important role they had in society. Palmetto Silver includes a
comprehensive listing of 216 objects, 69 color images, a directory of silversmiths and
merchants, and an illustrated listing of makers’ marks. Among the diverse array of
objects included and illustrated are military swords, shotguns, walking canes, tea services, award trophies, and presentation pieces. One outstanding example of featured
craftsmanship is a hand-chased cream or milk pitcher that was presented to the city of
Columbia’s African American fire brigade in 1846. Palmetto Silver is a treasure trove
of such artifacts.
McKISSICK MUSEUM was established in 1976
to provide campus and community access to the
University of South Carolina’s extensive history,
art, and science collections, which originated in
1823 with the purchase of the collections of
Thomas Cooper, the noted professor, scholar, and
then president of the university. In the twentieth
century the university broadened its collecting to
include fine, decorative, and folk arts. In recent
years the museum has received numerous awards
for its multidisciplinary projects, and its collections have grown to more than 100,000 objects
making it one of the largest university museums in
the Southeast.
PALMETTO SILVER
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