Spoon commemorating smallpox recovery, London, England, 1740

Made:
1740 in London
1980-1320/1 Silver spoon, one of two, commemorating smallpox

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

1980-1320/1 Silver spoon, one of two, commemorating smallpox
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Silver spoon, one of two, commemorating smallpox recovery, 1741, made in London, 1740

The silver spoon commemorates the recovery of two people from smallpox. Surviving the disease was worth celebrating as it was often fatal. Survivors would be left with scars on the skin as a permanent reminder of the disease, but also had life long immunity from smallpox.

Details

Category:
Public Health & Hygiene
Object Number:
1980-1320/2
Materials:
silver (metal)
Measurements:
overall: 36 mm x 200 mm x 45 mm, .0582 kg
type:
spoon