Texas Silver

This publication highlights twenty-seven silver objects from the William J. Hill collection, ranging from tankards and cups to forks, knives, spoons that would have graced the tables of Texans in the nineteenth century. Objects in the Hill collection have tangible links to the early history of Texas. Three of the early vessels in the collection are latter-day examples of 18th-century camp cups used in military settings, such as the famous set Richard Humphreys of Philadelphia made for George Washington in 1780. One such vessel—made by the aforementioned silversmith Samuel Bell between 1851 and 1860—is a cup engraved “Capt Alfred Gibbs / USA [United States Army]”. West Point–educated Alfred Gibbs (1823–1868) served with distinction in the Mexican-American War, was subsequently appointed commander of the United States Army’s Department of Texas, and then fought with the Union army during the Civil War.