Cincinnati Silver, 1788-1940

"From elegant tea sets to grand goblets, splendid platters and snuff boxes, the Cincinnati Art Museum holds over 400 pieces of silver designed, crafted, and sold in its city. With its founding in 1788, Cincinnati established itself as a leading center for the luxury silver trade in the United States. Cincinnati Silver: 1788-1940 traces the silver industry in the Queen City from the early years of production before the Civil War, through the growth of mechanization and mass production, and into the Arts and Crafts and Art Deco periods. Two key essays examine the origins, development, structure, and local and national importance of the city's silver trade. The volume also includes 154 illustrated, narrative entries on the most active individuals and companies. These entries are richly supplemented with over 250 color plates, over 200 maker and retailer hallmarks, and a range of important new archival information, such as illustrations of storefronts, craftsmen an proprietors, period advertisements and sample books. In addition to a bibliography, two appendices present an exhaustive index of other active craftsmen, as well as an inventory of the Museum's Cincinnati silver collection. As the first comprehensive volume to be published on this subject in nearly forty years, Cincinnati Silver: 1788-1940 is a vital resource for scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts of American silver, as well as those interested in American material culture and the development of 18th- and 19th-century commerce. With stunning color photography and in-depth research, Cincinnati Silver recounts the complex and fascinating story of the development of one of America's most important cities"--