Old French by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Dinner Service 12 Set 67 Pieces
View Similar Items
Old French by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Dinner Service 12 Set 67 Pieces
About the Item
- Creator:Gorham Manufacturing Company (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)Width: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)Depth: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)
- Sold As:Set of 67
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:1900-1909
- Date of Manufacture:Unknown
- Condition:Excellent condition, not monogrammed. This set will be professionally polished to pristine condition and sealed in individual plastic sleeves prior to shipping.
- Seller Location:Big Bend, WI
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU102244382813
Gorham Manufacturing Company
For nearly 160 years, the Gorham Manufacturing Company turned out a wide range of beautiful silver flatware, tea sets, serving bowls and other silver pieces, indelibly influencing the field of decorative arts in ways that still resonate.
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.
- Versailles by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Service 12 Set 178 Pieces DinnerBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Bend, WIThe Versailles pattern was created by the French sculptor, Antoine Heller, who was inspired by the murals in the Palace of Versailles. It is a multi-motif pattern from 1888 and each ...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Tableware
MaterialsSterling Silver
- White Paisley by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Service for 12 Set 67 PiecesBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Bend, WIWhite Paisley by Gorham sterling silver Flatware set - 67 pieces. This pattern was introduced in the year 1966 and features a contemporary shaped handle that is partially engraved wi...Category
Mid-20th Century Tableware
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Baronial Old by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Set 12 Service, 144 PiecesBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Bend, WIMonumental Baronial Old by Gorham circa 1897 sterling silver flatware set, 144 pieces with superb lion motif. This set includes: 12 dinner knives, 9 3/...Category
Antique 1890s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Medici Old by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Set for 8 Dinner Service 78 PiecesBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Bend, WIBeautiful Medici Old by Gorham sterling silver Flatware set - 78 pieces. This set includes: 8 Dinner Knives, 9 1/2" 8 Dinner Forks, 7 1/2" 8 Luncheon Forks, 6 3/4" 8 Teaspoons, 5 3/...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Tableware
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Meadow by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Set for 12 Service 65 pieces DinnerBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Bend, WIDinner Size Meadow by Gorham sterling silver Flatware set - 65 pieces. This multi-motif pattern features various finely detailed scenes of flowers, cattails, clover, grasses, and fo...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Edgemont by Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Service for 12 Dinner Set 51 PiecesBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Big Bend, WILovely Edgemont by Gorham sterling silver dinner size flatware set of 51 pieces. This set includes: 12 dinner knives, 9 3/8". 12 dinner forks, 7 3/4". 12 salad forks, 6 1/2". 12 te...Category
Late 20th Century Tableware
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Georgian Sterling Flatware / Service for 12 '60 Pieces'By Towle SilversmithsLocated in Brooklyn, NYGeorgian sterling silver flatware is one of those Classic patterns that never goes out of style. The floral bouquets on the tip of the handles and the intricate details in each piece...Category
Vintage 1940s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sterling Silver Flatware Set / 80 PiecesBy Towle SilversmithsLocated in Brooklyn, NYBeing offered is a complete set -- service for 16 -- sterling silver flatware by Towle Silversmiths. First introduced in 1939, this p...Category
Vintage 1930s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
$4,500 / set - 75 Pc. Georg Jensen Caravel Sterling Silver Flatware Dinner Service for 12By Georg JensenLocated in Philadelphia, PAA very fine 75-piece Georg Jensen sterling silver flatware set. Designed by Henning Koppel. In the Caravel pattern. Set comprises: 12 Dinner Forks (7 3/8") 12 Salad Forks (6 1/2") 12 Tea Spoons (5 15/16") 12 Place Spoons...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Gorham Sterling Silver Flatware Service, 705 PiecesBy GorhamLocated in New Orleans, LAThis monumental American sterling silver flatware service by Gorham epitomizes the stately glamour of turn-of-the-century dining. A to...Category
Antique 19th Century American Rococo Tableware
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Antique Veyrat French Parisian Silver Flatware Dinner Service for 12 with BoxesBy Jean Francois VeyratLocated in Hamilton, OntarioThis set of antique French gold washed silverware were made by the well-known Veyrat company of Paris France, in circa 1890 in the period Art Nouveau style. There are a combined fort...Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Sterling Silver
MaterialsSilver
- Etruscan Flatware by GorhamBy Gorham Manufacturing CompanyLocated in Brooklyn, NYThe Etruscan pattern has been a winner with customers ever since it was first introduced in 1913. Straight Classic lines with only the Etruscan pattern on the very end. A contemporar...Category
Vintage 1910s American Sterling Silver
MaterialsSterling Silver
$4,400 / set