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Gorham Manufacturing Company

Dressing Set, ca. 1890

Description

Maker

  • Gorham Manufacturing Company, 1831-, American

Title

Dressing Set

Year

ca. 1890

Medium

Silver

Place

Providence; Rhode Island

Type

  • Metalwork

Credit

The Gorham Collection. Gift of Textron Inc.

Object Number

1991.126.599

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Gorham Silver

May 3 - December 1, 2019

Making It In America

October 11, 2013 - February 9, 2014

The task of getting ready for the day often requires an array of devices, including a mirror for surveying the results. This dressing set with ornate silver handles was used to groom hair and clothes, fasten buttons, and file nails in grand style. The finishing touch might be a piece of jewelry, which could be kept safe in a box like this Renaissance Revival example featuring an alfresco feast.

Enameled silver wares were very popular at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where the Gorham Manufacturing Company earned seven awards for their enamel work. The company hired Hungarian artist G. de Festetics to create designs that were executed by a predominately American and female team of enamellers.

Related

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Hair Brush, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Nail File, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Hand Mirror, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Whisk Brush, 1890-1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Clothes Brush, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Comb, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Buttonhook

More objects +

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Dressing Set with the accession number of 1991.126.599. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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