Subject: Kentucky--Louisville--History

Coin-silver soup ladle made by Solomon Ralph Biesenthal of Louisville, Kentucky (1829-1903). Engraved “Remember Jetta Gerstley.” Marked: “SRBiesenthal Louisville.” The ladle is dated circa 1854, based on Jetta Gerslet's marriage to Solomon Schoenfeld in 1854. The style of the ladle correlates with the mid-19th century. The inscription is a loving reminder to the bride of her former identity. There's no indication the couple remained in Louisville; a Jetty Schoenfeld died in Brooklyn, New York in 1902. The object's provenance is from the private collection of S & B B of VA, patrons and purveyors of Virginia and early Southern material culture. Additional information about the maker, Solomon Ralph Biesenthal, his life in Louisville, Kentucky, and the socio-economic context of Jewish silversmiths in the antebellum American South is included in the accompanying documentation.