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.
Set of 12 Graff, Washbourne & Dunn Sterling Silver Dinner Plates
By Graff Washbourn & Dunn
Located in New York, NY
Set of 12 Edwardian Regency sterling silver dinner plates. Made by Graff, Washbourne & Dunn in New York, ca 1910. Each: Deep and round well with engraved monogram surrounded by leaf ...
Sterling Silver
Set of 12 Graff Washbourne & Dunn Sterling Silver Bread Butter Plates
By Black, Starr & Frost, Graff Washbourn & Dunn
Located in New York, NY
Set of 12 Edwardian Regency sterling silver plates. Made by Graff, Washbourne & Dunn in New York, ca 1910. Each: Deep and round well with engraved monogram bordered by scrolls, leave...
Sterling Silver
Set of 12 Rundell Bridge & Rundell Dinner Plates with Royal Provenance
By William Bateman I, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell
Located in New York, NY
Set of 12 English Georgian sterling silver dinner plates with royal provenance, 1837. Retailed by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell in London. Each: Round well; shoulder scalloped and rim ga...
Sterling Silver
Set of 12 Traditional Georgian Hand Made Sterling Silver Dinner Plates
By William De Matteo
Located in New York, NY
Set of 12 traditional Georgian sterling silver dinner plates, ca 1930. Round well and cast gadrooned serpentine rim. Marked “Hand Made / Sterling”. Attributable to William G. De Matt...
Sterling Silver
Fancy American Victorian Classical Gilt Sterling Silver Cake Plate
By J.E. Caldwell & Co.
Located in New York, NY
American Victorian Classical sterling silver cake plate, ca 1890. Round and curved well engraved with leafing scrollwork, flowers, and diaper; stylistically integrated script monogra...
Sterling Silver
Antique Tiffany American Victorian Classical Sterling Silver Bowl
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Victorian Classical sterling silver bowl. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York. Solid oval well and wavy rim. Chased flowers and scrolls, and pierced and open diaper with engraved flowe...
Sterling Silver
Antique Georgian Regency Set of 12 Silver Soup Plates 1820
By Edward Farrell
Located in London, GB
A magnificent Set of 12 Antique George IV Soup Plates in a classic shaped circular form and featuring a Rococo Revival style border showing an intricate Shell and Foliate design repe...
Sterling Silver
Antique Georgian Regency Set of 12 Silver Dinner Plates 1820
By Edward Farrell
Located in London, GB
A magnificent Set of 12 Antique George IV Dinner Plates in a classic shaped circular form and featuring a Rococo Revival style border showing an intricate Shell and Foliate design re...
Sterling Silver
Elegant 19th Century Gorham Sterling Serving Dish
By Gorham Manufacturing Company
Located in Riverdale, NY
Elegant 19th Century Gorham Sterling Serving Dish with wide floral border with nice weight. Flowers and scrolls decorate the 1.5" border. Gorham hallmarks dating to 1892. Weight 14 T...
Sterling Silver
Set of Eight Antique Haviland Limoges Porcelain Butter Pats, 1900
Located in Coral Gables, FL
A delicate antique set of eight Haviland Limoges porcelain butter pats or small dessert bowls, made in France and beautifully decorated with pale blue floral garlands, soft green accents, scalloped molded edges, and gilt detailing. Each piece has a softly shaped form with raised floral relief along the rim, creating a romantic and highly decorative table presence. The combination of white Limoges porcelain, powder blue blossoms, hand-finished gilding, and graceful scalloped edges gives the set the refined character associated with Haviland’s late nineteenth and early twentieth-century production. Haviland became one of the most important names in Limoges porcelain, founded by the American Haviland family and closely connected to the American market for fine French porcelain. The company was especially admired for producing elegant tableware that combined French porcelain quality with patterns suited to refined domestic entertaining. Haviland porcelain is strongly associated with the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Limoges became internationally recognized for its exceptional white porcelain body, delicate decoration, and sophisticated table services. These small dishes are especially charming because of their scale and versatility. Although originally sold as butter pats, their approximately 6-inch size makes them useful as small dessert bowls, berry bowls, fruit dishes, side dishes, nut bowls, or individual serving pieces. They are also beautiful as decorative objects, displayed stacked in a cabinet, arranged on a tea table, or layered into a romantic porcelain collection. The blue floral decoration feels light, feminine, and timeless, pairing naturally with French porcelain, silver plate, linen, transferware, crystal, and cottage or country house table settings. Their scalloped rims and gilded accents add a sense of occasion without feeling overly formal, making them suitable for both display and elegant entertaining. Presented in antique condition consistent with age and use, with light wear appropriate to porcelain of this period, including possible minor gilt wear and natural age-related surface marks. A beautiful and collectible Haviland Limoges set...
Porcelain
Vintage Reed & Barton 05600 Regent Victorian Silver Plated Serving Platter Tray
By Reed & Barton
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Reed & Barton 05600 Regent Victorian Silver Plated Serving Platter Tray. Circa Mid 20th Century. Measurements: 2" H x 26.5" W x 17.75" D.
Silver Plate
From a German Royal Household Large Serving-Plate 800/0 Silver Germany 1900
Located in Berlin, DE
This beautifully handcrafted serving-plate made of 800/0 Silver in Münster, Germany by Jewellers Osthues, circa 1900 will be an eyecatcher on any festive table. The elegant rim is „D...
Silver
