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More about this photograph: The location of this image is inside former womens Cottage #25 of the Traverse City State Hospital a.k.a The Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City, Michigan. Inside the cottage was a very small room filled with recovered items previously stolen from the asylum. A box of silverware sitting open on the floor inspired the photograph. I reached into the box and placed one of the knives from the box onto the widowsill directly above the box. I photographed the knife (particularily because the word ASYLUM SR had been imprinted on the handle, see enlarged detail photo below) and then I returned the piece back to the box. This photo was taken in Jan 1998 and unfortunately later in 1998 all of the items stored in this room as well as ALL of the antiques from the entire institution were sold at a huge liquidation sale that made national news (July 1998). The date when this flatware was manufactured had to be before 1911. In 1911, the name of the instituion was changed from the Northern Michigan Asylum to the Traverse City State Hospital. The word asylum was never used on any State Hospital items after 1911. The letters SR, as best as can be determined, are an abbreviation meaning Serving Room. Other pieces I have seen since have had ward numbers like 18, 16, etc. imprinted on them. This image Asylum Butter Knife is located on pg. 121 in the book Angels in the Architecture. If you have other/more information about this flatware, please e-mail me.

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