Silver in America, 1840-1940: Production, marketing, and consumption. (Volumes I and II)

This dissertation traces the development of the American silverware industry from 1840 to 1940. Due to factors, such as the Tariff of 1842, new technology, and an improved national transportation system, silver production in this country increased greatly in the 1840s and 1850s. The economic boom in the Northeast produced by the Civil War stimulated the industry's development and producers responded by expanding production and hiring many foreign-trained craftsmen and designers to increase quality. Although the depression of the 1870s reduced sales, it also caused makers to become more innovative in design in an attempt to bring to the marketplace more novel and hence more saleable products. The introduction of objects in the Japanese taste is an example of this phenomenon.; The 1880s witnessed the rapid growth of the industry and the creation of several large-scale manufactories by such firms as Gorham, Meridan Britannia Co., Reed & Barton, and Tiffany & Co. Production was highly organized, but handwork remained the rule rather than the exception for all but the cheapest wares. In the early 1890s, large plants were constructed to house the growing firms. The decade also saw the steady fall in the price of silver bullion making sterling wares competitive with silverplate. Thus more Americans than ever before could use silver in their daily lives as both utilitarian and ritualistic objects. To market its wares to this growing group of consumers, the industry used world fairs, publicity events, and advertising of various types. Silver was made in a wide range of styles to appeal to as broad an audience as possible.; In the early twentieth century, increased production costs and a change in taste forced producers to make simpler objects. While the late 1920s was a profitable period for most producers, consumers for the most part rejected their experiments with modernist looking wares, preferring the colonial revival style. Conservatism was further reinforced by the onset of the Depression. During the 1930s the market for luxury goods virtually evaporated. It was only with the switch to war production in 1941 that manufacturers regained financial stability.