Don't leave home without these essential tips, resources, and websites. » Read More
The Genuine Article: In Pursuit of Authentic Crafts New England Silver By Laura Morelli Photo by Tim Wright/CORBIS
A silversmith puts the finishing touches on a cup by hammering out the dents.
Americans remember Paul Revere for his famous midnight ride from Boston that corralled Revolutionary forces against the British. In those days, however, most people knew Paul Revere as one of many Boston silversmiths. Since the colonial period, silversmithing has remained one of the richest craft legacies in America, and New England is still one of the most important silversmithing centers.
The story of New England silver begins with the arrival of English colonists in the 16th and 17th centuries. These hardy souls settled in seaside villages and larger colonial ports like Boston. There they established trades they had long practiced in Europe, including silversmithing. These early settlers valued silver as much for its intrinsic value as for the craftsmanship that stood behind it. In the days before banks were well established, old silver could be traded as currency and held as collateral for debt. The medieval apprenticeship system the artisans inherited from Europe ensured that the craft was carefully regulated and that a healthy supply of youngsters would continue it. Silversmiths worked in modest workshops along the coast, turning out tableware and decorative objects from the most utilitarian to the most luxurious.
In the 19th century, several larger silversmithing companies established themselves in New England, eventually emerging as household names in American silver: Wallace, International Silver, Reed & Barton, Gorham Company, and others. Unfortunately, over the last few decades, what were once artisanal enterprises outsourced their ever more industrialized production overseas, even if the design is still done from headquarters in New England. Today Lunt Silversmiths and Reed & Barton are two large-scale historic silversmithing enterprises still producing in New England—from their old factories in Massachusetts. Apart from these larger silver companies, a small community of New England silversmiths still crafts traditional pieces by hand. However, those who reproduce colonial silver designs using traditional methods are limited to just a few individuals.
The techniques used in handcrafting silver have changed little since antiquity. In colonial New England, most of the raw material came from coins and outmoded objects that were melted and molded into ingots, or brick-like blocks of silver. Today's artisanal silversmiths begin with sheet silver. When the silversmith is ready to begin a project, he creates the form of the piece in a process called raising. Beyond this basic skill stands a long list of specialized techniques and tools for finishing a piece. Small pieces like handles and spouts are often cast using a lost-wax or sandcasting process, then fit and later soldered to the piece. The final piece may be chased, polished, engraved, or finished with a number of other specialized and time-consuming methods. It can take more than a hundred hours to complete a single teapot or pitcher by hand.
Although craftspeople who reproduce colonial silver designs are few and far between, individual silversmiths working in a more contemporary style abound, and silversmithing remains one of America's most vibrant craft traditions. The country's most reputable individual silversmiths today form the Society of American Silversmiths, with many of the best artisans still clustered in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.
If you want to learn more about traditional American silver, you should start by perusing the collections of the Paul Revere House and the Museum of Fine Arts, both in Boston; or Winterthur, in Delaware. You can watch silversmiths demonstrating colonial techniques at several excellent living history museums on the East coast, including Historic Deerfield in Massachusetts and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
When you're ready to buy, the biggest decision is whether to choose an antique or contemporary piece. Prices for antiques range widely, with some small pieces starting below a hundred dollars, but particularly valuable collectibles—classic examples of tea services, tankards, and other characteristic colonial designs—may fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. If possible, stick to a dealer or auction house specializing in American silver. With antiques, the values are often closely related to the maker's mark stamped on the bottom of the piece. These maker's marks are complicated, and a good handbook of silver hallmarks or an appraiser certified by the American Society of Appraisers or the International Society of Appraisers can help you interpret values.
A smart alternative is to commission a living silversmith to create a custom design. Most artisan silversmiths are accustomed to working on commission and can design a one-of-a-kind piece of Americana that your family will cherish and hand down for generations.
Laura Morelliis an art historian with a passion for the world's artisanal traditions. She writes a regular column for National Geographic Traveler online called "The Genuine Article." Laura also authors a guidebook series, including Made in Italy, Made in France, and Made in the Southwest, which leads travelers to the world's most authentic shopping experiences. She holds a B.A. in languages and a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University. www.lauramorelli.com.
