Dessert spoons were introduced in the early eighteenth century for partaking of the fruits, nuts, and other confections served after dinner. In 1762, when George Washington ordered a new set of china and silver flatware from London, he specifically requested two dozen "small Dessert Silver Spoons with my crest." This spoon is one of several which survive in the Mount Vernon collection. Washington's engraved crest on the handle of each spoon would have been visible to his guests, as the spoon was set on the table with its bowl downward. These spoons complemented the porcelain figurines and fine glassware Washington had earlier acquired for the fashionable presentation of dessert.