Crosslinking 5: Teapot 1875

Model #1917, first produced 1875

silver plate over nickel silver

This silver-plated teapot may seem completely old-fashioned today. But in 1875 it was right “on trend,” bringing the sophistication of European design and New York City silversmithing to the masses. The octagonal shape, the engraved scenes, the goat on top, the fine geometric patterning, and the flat shiny areas have much to tell about history, taste, technology, and commerce.

Why The Goats?

The most noticeable thing about this tea set is the seemingly inexplicable presence of small silver goats used as finials. The mystery these finials present is partly solvable because Reed & Barton was merely copying an existing goat-topped teapot originally created by New York silversmith Wood & Hughes which was, at the time, one of the most popular silver producers in the country. But why Wood & Hughes made the original with goats is less clear.

Reed & Barton goat finial

Old Colony History Museum

There is a long-standing tradition of animal finials on top of silver and ceramic objects. The Reed & Barton catalogs are full of charming examples. Cows laze on top of butter and cheese dishes, which makes sense; cows indicate dairy. Perhaps they merely indicate a broader connection to the farm, bringing a sense of the bucolic countryside to urban drawing rooms.

Wood & Hughes

coin silver tea pot c. 1860

In the case of this Reed and Barton tea set, the connection to nature has been enhanced by scenes of mountain villages engraved on the sides of each piece. They were likely copied form images in one of the many source books kept for reference in the design office library.

covered butter dishes

Reed & Barton 1877 catalog

Old Colony History Museum

Ultimately, it is also possible that these goats perch on top just to delight us. Not all decisions can be explained; think about all the things you own with a motif or character or animal on them, and imagine someone trying to puzzle out the meaning in 100 years!

Other silver companies also produced items with goat finials:

Henry Wilkinson & Co., 1852

Michael Sedler Antiques

Alphonse Debain C.1911.

French.Antique Boutique

Elkington, 1890.

Puckerings

Gorham.

Cottone Auctions

Why This Shape?

Assembling pieces of flat sheet metal into a volume is a simple way to create a vessel, so the six- or eight- sided teapot was an obvious choice compared to alternatives which required hammering a flat sheet into a rounded shape. The flat-sided teapot was a popular form in the 17th and 18th century, when Europeans were discovering tea drinking.

RobertAndWilliamWilsonC.1830

MET Museum

Reed & Barton,1875

Old Colony History Museum

With this tea set, Reed & Barton was producing a more affordable version of an expensive New York City luxury item made by Wood & Hughes, allowing customers to enjoy the sophistication of New York at Taunton prices. But that Wood & Hughes original, even though made of sterling silver, was already playing the same game. It was copying older British teapot forms, and allowing newly wealthy Americans to feel more connected to old-world traditions.

Reed & Barton,1875

Old Colony History Museum

There are many layers of references built up in this copy of a copy, as each teapot tried to help its owner claim connections to people from other times and other income brackets.,

The background of each flat panel of this goat teapot is covered in a fine, repeating pattern of engraved lines. On a high-end sterling silver tea pot, decoration would have been added entirely by hand. By using a machine, Reed & Barton created the look of an engraved surface with none of the added labor.

Joseph Smith..Boston, C.1793

Simpson Galleries

Old Colony History Museum

In the 19th century, engraving machines used templates and pantographs to trace decorations onto objects at different sizes. Engine turning allowed objects to move in controlled patterns as engraving tips created geometric marks on their surfaces. Technology was used to replicate the look of hand-crafted silver, at a much lower price.

Engine Turning Engraving Lathe

Old Colony History Museum

This tea set is likely made of nickel silver, an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc (and no silver; that is just added to make it sound fancier). After it was assembled, it was coated with a layer of actual silver. Silver plating was achieved at Reed & Barton starting in 1848, with battery power. At first they plated their Britannia ware. Britannia gave way to nickel silver in the 1870s; it was harder and offered a more durable surface which could better hold up to wear.

Battery-Powered Electro-Plating

Whitesmiths of Taunton, 1943

Because the silver coating accentuated even the smallest flaws and irregularities, extra decoration was added to designs, creating intentional irregularity to help hide any flaws. There are almost no surfaces without engravings or added moldings on this tea set; the only real open area is on one side, where a monogram could be added later (in this case, it never was).

OCHM

Burnishing

When metal is electroplated (using electricity to deposit a thin layer of real silver over something made from a less expensive metal) the silver layer has a matte finish. It must be burnished by hand to arrive at the shiny surface you see now.

before and after burnishing

Attleboro Industrial Museum

Agate-tipped burnishing tools were rubbed over the surface, and then powered polishing wheels added a final shine. It could take as long as a full day of hand burnishing to get just one teapot finished. Burnishing and polishing was also necessary for the older Britannia ware, and this department was one of the oldest (and largest) at the factory. This work was largely performed by female workers at Reed and Barton, who also did much of the soldering.

Appleton's Journal., December, 1878

In the earlier days, the only jobs open to women at Reed & Barton were the last bit of finishing (the hand polishing), washing, and packing. In 1829, women performing these tasks earned 22 to 32 cents a day. In the 1840s, women took over soldering and machine polishing, as well. These more difficult and skilled jobs paid higher wages, and because the pay was calculated by the piece, not as an hourly or daily wage, women earned the same pay as men.

Appleton's Journal., December, 1878

When silver electroplating arrived, there were more opportunities for female workers, and they were able to earn up to $1.50 a day by 1859, which was the same as the national average for male factory workers. At that time, there were 82 men, 30 women working in the factory.