Cincinnati Silver: 1788-1940 (Hardcover)

Published May 2014 (UK and USA)
Dimensions : 416 pages, 9 × 11 in
133 color plates and 397 b&w illustrations
Available only in hardcover

by Amy Miller Dehan, Cincinnati Art Museum (author) 
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 centre 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 local silver trade. The volume also includes approximately 150 illustrated, narrative entries on the most active individuals and companies. These entries are richly supplemented with more than 250 colour plates, over 200 maker and retailer hallmarks, and a range of important new archival information, such as illustrations of storefronts, craftsmen and 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 eighteenth- and nineteenth-century commerce. With stunning colour photography and indepth research, Cincinnati Silver recounts the complex and fascinating story of the development of one of America’s most important cities.

· Giles · Hardback · 416 pages · ISBN 1907804110