Hello All -
I have set of spoons I believe to be made by Joseph Loring. I have found a bit of info about him as a silversmith working in Boston mid-1700’s to early 1800’s.
Is anyone experienced in deciphering script initials of various fonts? Some are quite clear. However, this Monogram has me stumped. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as I’m trying to connect it to a multitude of possible family members.
Any additional info on Loring would be appreciated as well.
Thx so much!
It looks like BM to me, but if upside down WEP. Sorry I can’t help with any Loring information.
Phil
Hi Phil -
Thanks so much for responding. Yes indeed, I do believe the image needed to be inverted (I had it upside down, obviously not thinking clearly here) as most monograms on flatware we have/seen seemed to be positioned in this manner … so WEP makes the most sense.
This piece is of extra special interest as my wife’s 5th great-grandfather was Paul Revere. The spoons were originally passed down by Pauline Revere(1862-1934) the niece of my wife’s 3rd great-grandmother Jane Minot Revere (1834-1910). We acquired them about 20yrs ago as a wedding gift from a family member. The original note from Pauline Revere said “We can’t be sure whose initials they are, but I assume it was some family member”
Trying to connect the dots a bit more I did find a short Wikipedia page that said Loring apprenticed for Benjamin Burt or Paul Revere in Boston about 1756… so the plot thickens!
That said, PR had 16 children and at least 51 grandchildren making lots of possible monogram combinations, if indeed it was a family member. So may prove to be a fruitless/inconclusive search…Thanks again for your help!
James
