Over the past decade, the Museum's holdings of American silver have grown significantly. Through purchases and gifts, the story of the silversmithing tradition in this country can now be more fully told. Private collections, including those of Milo M. Naeve and Mary Beth Baird, also have brought to the Museum the works of unsung female silversmiths, unusual flatware made for the Victorian dining table, unique wares made for the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, and many other treasures.

Silver: An American Art—Selections from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston showcases these important new additions to the collection, all created in America between 1870 and 1960. Highlights of the exhibition include pieces made by Arts and Crafts silversmith Mary Peyton Winlock and Danish-trained smith Peer Smed, as well the great American silver companies Gorham and Tiffany.