Inscribed Mother-of-Pearl Snuff Box with Hinged Lid English, Circa 1890

A rectangular snuff box veneered in mother-of-pearl, with a hinged lid engraved “Presented to W.H. by A. Steventon.” The surface is made of beautiful mother-of-pearl panels, mitered at the corners. The script is in a copperplate style, suggesting the box was intended as a personal gift or presentation piece. English, circa 1890.

Height: 1 in. (3 cm.)
Width: 2 in. (5 cm.)
Depth: 3 in. (8 cm.)

Context Note: Presentation Boxes in the Late 19th Century
During the Victorian period, small objects like snuff boxes, vesta cases, and card cases were often used as presentation items, to be given in recognition of service, loyalty, retirement, or as personal mementos. These gifts were typically engraved with the recipient’s initials or name and the name of the donor and occasionally with the date or context of the gift.

Mother-of-pearl was a favored material for such boxes, prized for its iridescence and association with refinement. These presentation boxes were particularly popular among civic organizations, religious societies, trade guilds, and occasionally by private individuals marking personal milestones.

The engraved inscription —“Presented to W.H. by A. Steventon”—suggests a one-to-one relationship, personal or commemorative, rather than a formal institutional presentation. And, while the inscription doesn’t offer a definitive provenance, it does reflect the social customs of a personalized gift exchange of the late 19th century.

Clare Le Corbeiller, European and American Snuff Boxes, 1730–1830, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1966.