Dessert plate

Victorian dessert plates were often splendidly decorated—as though the end of the meal required extra festivity. This service originally included 12 plates, each decorated with a different tropical bird and its nest, 11 remain in the collection. The set was purchased by the Fricks in 1884 from luxury firm Davis Collamore & Co. of New York City, a competitor of Tiffany & Co. In the Victorian era, the dessert course consisted of fruit, cheese and crackers, bonbons, and a variety of baked goods.