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Description: Silver trophy or prize cup on pedestal base. Interior mark "A. Lynn." This cup was presented by George Washington Parke Custis to William Hayward Foote of Hayfield, VA for showing the “Two Finest Ewe Lambs of 1 Year Old” at the 1809 Arlington Shearing." The cup was donated by Mrs. L.M. Walker, a descendent of the Foote Family. Mr. Custis held sheep shearing contests annually between 1805 and 1812. He wanted to promote wool production that was uniquely American. Custis sought to breed a new kind of sheep, the Arlington Improved, to reduce American dependence on wool produced in Europe. While Custis' attempt to promote a purely American breed of sheep failed, he drew attention to scientific farming and animal husbandry. Silver, metal. H 21.3, D 15 cm |
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