In the eighteenth century, to dine with a knife and a fork rather than one's hands was a mark of genteel refinement. Compact sets of knives and forks enabled the polite traveler to eat confidently outside of his own dining room. In this fashionable, horn-paneled set, a slot within each handle allows it to sheath the opposite utensil, thus joining the two together in a single case. A stamped mark on the knife blade wishes its user to "Prosper." George Washington may have acquired this set for his personal use during the Revolutionary War.