Antique Gorham Lushly Romantic Victorian Heart-Shaped Jewelry Box
View Similar Items
Antique Gorham Lushly Romantic Victorian Heart-Shaped Jewelry Box
About the Item
- Creator:Gorham Manufacturing Company (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 2 in (5.08 cm)Width: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)Depth: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)
- Style:Victorian (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Late 19th Century
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: BV9201stDibs: LU898028369342
Gorham Manufacturing Company
When silversmiths Jabez Gorham and Henry Webster started making coin silver teaspoons and jewelry out of a small workshop in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1831, the pair likely had no idea that their modest operation would one day become the largest silver manufacturer in the world.
While some name changes and personnel shifts preceded the foundry officially being established as Gorham Manufacturing Company decades later, growth of the business between its early days and the mid–19th century can largely be attributed to the work of Jabez’s son John, who assumed control of Gorham in the 1840s.
John Gorham introduced steam power at the manufactory. He entered into a partnership with Michael Gibney, the first American silversmith to register a design patent for a flatware pattern. Gorham wanted to expand the business, seeking to produce forks and spoons adorned with decorative flourishes adapted from British patterns. The company hammered out the silver flatware, which it sent to Gibney in New York to apply decorative patterns before returning to Gorham. Consequently, Gorham found Gibney’s work unsatisfactory, and he purchased his own rolling press to do the work himself.
The partnership between John and Michael soured but the company thrived. Sales grew to more than $20,000 per year, and the staff of silversmiths expanded. To keep up with demand, Gorham had to retire its horse-powered rolling press and import a steam-powered drop press from England — the first used in the United States. Designs created at Gorham drew on natural-world motifs as well as artistic traditions from all over the world — alongside its tableware, the company would soon be producing cups and pitchers adorned with polar bears and forest creatures, while tea services and other serving pieces were crafted in a range of styles that included Art Nouveau, Egyptian Revival and Rococo.
Around 1860, Gorham delved into bronze casting. When it opened a division dedicated to bronze work, Gorham collaborated with sculptors such as Daniel Chester French, Anna Hyatt Huntington and Alexander P. Proctor.
By the 1920s, Gorham had employed thousands of workers and had partnered with Danish modernist silversmith Erik Magnussen. However, the Great Depression ground production to a halt. The company was sold to Textron, Inc. in the late 1960s and it changed hands several times before it sold to Department 56 in 2005.
Today, the work of Gorham Manufacturing Company continues to be exhibited in galleries and museums. The RISD Museum in Providence houses a collection of nearly 5,000 works.
On 1stDibs, find a range of antique Gorham Manufacturing Company serveware and decorative objects.
- Antique Gorham Edwardian Regency Box for Jewelry and KeepsakesBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYEdwardian Regency sterling silver box. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1917. Square with straight sides. Cover hinged with gently curved top and scrolled top. Allover engine-turned w...Category
Vintage 1910s American Regency Revival Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Fancy American Victorian Regency Sterling Silver Jewelry BoxBy The Mauser Manufacturing Co.Located in New York, NYTurn-of-the-century Victorian Regency sterling silver jewelry box. Made by Mauser in New York. Rectangular and concave with curved corners and hinged cover. Chased ornament including...Category
Antique Late 19th Century American Regency Revival Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Gorham Victorian Sterling Silver Nutmeg GraterBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYVictorian sterling silver nutmeg grater. Made by Gorham in Providence, ca 1900. Ovoid and lobed; cover hinged and tabbed. Interior has hi...Category
Early 20th Century American Victorian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Gorham Victorian Aesthetic Sterling Silver Christening MugBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in New York, NYVictorian Aesthetic sterling silver christening mug. Made by Gorham in Providence in 1894. Straight sides with gently curved base. Curvilinear frame with zigzag and wavy borders betw...Category
Antique 1890s American Aesthetic Movement Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- American Edwardian Regency Sterling Silver Jewelry Box with CherubsBy William B. DurginLocated in New York, NYEdwardian Regency sterling silver jewelry box. Made by William B. Durgin in Concord, ca 1910. Rectangular with straight sides and hinged drop-front. Cover hinged and flat. On sides, ...Category
Early 20th Century American Regency Revival Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique German Silver Fruits and Foliage Keepsake BoxLocated in New York, NYGerman 800 silver box, ca 1910. Oval and lobed. Cover hinged and raised with scroll tab. Sides have chased and engraved fruits and foliage on stippled g...Category
Early 20th Century German Victorian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver
- Large Antique Cut Crystal and Sterling Silver Heart Shaped Box, 1903Located in Bath, GBA romantic example of an Edwardian heart shaped trinket box made from a heavy thick piece of crystal beautifully cut in the ever-popular hobnail design with a star cut to the base. ...Category
Antique Early 1900s English Edwardian Decorative Boxes
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Gorham 1919 Hand Hammered Sterling Silver Jewelry Box in Crescent ShapeBy GorhamLocated in New York, NYHand hammered crescent shape sterling silver jewelry box made by Gorham in 1919. It has a removable maroon velvet lining which separates the case into six compartments. The lid has b...Category
Vintage 1910s American Art Deco Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver, Sterling Silver
- Victorian Period Sterling Silver Heart-Form Trinkets Box with Hinged LidBy H. MatthewsLocated in New York, NYVictorian, sterling silver heart-form trinkets box with hinged lid and gilt interior, Birmingham, England, year-hallmarked for 1897, H. Matthews - Maker. Lid is designed with a Joshu...Category
Antique 1890s Victorian Sterling Silver
MaterialsGold, Sterling Silver
- Victorian Period Sterling Silver Heart-Form Trinkets Box with Hinged LidBy John George SmithLocated in New York, NYLovely, Victorian Period, sterling silver heart-form trinkets box with hinged lid and gilt interior, London, year-hallmarked for 1898, John George Smith - maker. Bears foreign import...Category
Antique 1890s English Victorian Sterling Silver
MaterialsGold, Sterling Silver
- Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Small Box with Gilded InteriorBy Alfred TaylorLocated in Braintree, GBAntique Victorian sterling silver small box with gilded interior. Made in Birmingham, 1860 Maker : Alfred Taylor Fully hallmarked. Approx Dimensions - Size : 6 x 4 x 1 cm ...Category
Antique 1860s British Victorian Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver
- Antique Round Birks Sterling Silver Footed Jewelry & Ring or Trinket BoxBy Henry Birks & SonLocated in Hamilton, OntarioThis jewelry and ring or tricket box was made by and unknown English maker and retailed by Birks. The box dates to approximately 1920 and is done in a Victorian style. This ring box ...Category
Early 20th Century English Victorian Jewelry Boxes
MaterialsSterling Silver