This popular pattern of table silver was designed in 1802 by the French architect and interior decorator, Charles Percier (1764-1838) and first made in 1804 by the Parisian court goldsmith, Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843) for the Empress Joséphine (1763-1814).

The initials BML are for Betty MacLeod Sturgess (1852-1931) who married as her second husband Frank Howard Leggett (1840-1909) at the American Church in the rue du Berri, Paris on 9 September 1895. The New York Evening Telegram of 1 October recorded the event, concentrating as was normal on the clothes.'Mrs Leggett's bridal gown was an exquisite pale pinkish mauve poult de sole, finished with a gauze bodice to match, trimmed with guipure lace. . . .' The reporter seemed even more impressed by the outfit of one of the witnesses: 'The Swami Vivekenanda, the Hindoo priest who figured somewhat in the social world last season [in New York] at the homes of Mrs Austin Corbin and of Mrs A.L. Barber and others interested in Buddhistic literature and esoteric philosophy . . . attired in the long orange gown of his order. . . . The orange coloured feature of his picturesque garb was the apparently interminably long sunlight tinted silken scarf that was wound around and around his head in turban fashion.'

Nearly 100 years later in 1984, the birthday of this man,12 January was made National Youth day in India. Vivekananda (1863-1902) his monastic name, a disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who had been practicing the wandering life of a monk in India since 1888, travelled to America via Japan and China, arriving in Vancouver in 1893 with a vision to represent Hinduism at the inaugural World's Parliament of Religions to be held in Chicago that year. He had not been officially invited and initially lacked accreditation, but so impressed were those who had influence that the official invitation came.

At the opening session of the Parliament, on 11 September the initial five words of his address, 'Sisters and brothers of America,' received a standing ovation; as an eye witness reported 'When that young man got up and said, ''Sisters and Brothers of America,'' seven thousand people rose to their feet as a tribute to something they knew not what. When it was over, I saw scores of women walking over the benches to get near him, and I said to myself,''Well, my lad, if you can resist that onslaught you are indeed a God'' (letter 2 September 1902 from Mrs. S.K Blodgett to Josephine MacLeod. Swami Vivekananda had become friends with the MacLeod sisters Betty and Josephine as well as Frank Leggett in America, had travelled to the wedding with the latter on his way to give a lecture tour in England and was to spend Christmas of that year at the Leggett’s house in America. Frank Leggett wrote to his now sister-in-law Josephine on 6 January 1896, 'One night at Ridgely we were all spellbound by his eloquence-such thoughts I have never heard expressed by mortal man such as he uttered for two and a half hours. We were all deeply affected . . . he leaves us soon and perhaps we shall never see him again but he will leave an ineffaceable impression on our hearts that will comfort us to the end of our earthly careers.' (Frances Leggett, Late and Soon, London, 1968, p. 101)