Crumb Trays- A History Lesson

I have recently been fascinated with the history of butlers and Victorian era service people. I like to read about the interesting and fussy manners in which butlers cared for homes and practiced service and hospitality and try to learn tips for good hosting and service. My family, taking note of this peculiar eccentricity, aptly procured a most interesting Mother's Day gift for me- meet the bread crumber and brush set:

    This beauty is fashioned from silver. Although I am unsure of the history of this particular piece, these sets date back to the Victorian era and were used in hotels, restaurants and aristocratic homes to quickly sweep away crumbs left on a table cloth- this would help save the tablecloth from unnecessary laundering and also prevented the crumbs from landing on the floor. It also was used to show off how elegant or upscale an establishment was. 

Only the finest of modern day restaurants use these sets still- Charles Court at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, along with The Peppertree restaurant also in Colorado Springs, take the opportunity to have their waiters elegantly finesse the crumbs from your table between courses and diners.

    

I was also gifted this lovely, antique silver piece, known as a "silent butler": 

This beauty also dates back to the Victorian era and was used to quickly and discreetly sweep crumbs and ashes into. The handle is operated with the thumb. It is quite lovely and I have already tried it out to sweep our crumbs into. These are the sort of gifts that make old souls happy!

Here's my very amateur video on this topic: