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A Gleaming Torrent: 19th Century American Silver

Created by ragiel

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Collectibles
A Gleaming Torrent 19th Century American Silver game quiz
"The development of mass-production techniques in the 1800s permitted silver to swirl and blossom as never before - or since."

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  



1. Long before the manufacture of silver tableware, most metal spoons were made of pewter, an alloy of tin with copper and sometimes lead. Pewter spoons were soft and had to be melted down and re-cast often. It was also too soft to take a bright polish. As early as 1804, it began to be superseded by a white alloy called Brittania metal. Which statement about Brittania metal is wrong?
    It was hard enough to polish to a bright silvery shine.
    Unlike pewter, it could be produced in the United States without reliance on imported materials.
    It proved to be an excellent base for electroplating with silver.
    It was mostly hand-crafted at first, but lent itself to assembly-line factory production.


2. In 1840, a process for electroplating silver onto a base of copper, bronze, or white-metal alloy was patented in Birmingham, England. American Britannia manufacturers, notably John Mead, the Rogers brothers, and John Gorham, moved their production to silver-plated wares. Competition was just as ruthless as it is today! Which was NOT one of the special features advertised as an improvement?
    Solid silver inlays at the points most susceptible to wear.
    Copper or brass as the metal core to be plated with silver.
    Double, triple, or quadruple plating.
    Exclusive pattern designs for customers ordering silver in bulk.


3. In 1859, some gold miners in Nevada noticed that their equipment was clogging up with a sticky gray sludge. This proved to be a remarkably rich silver ore which poured over $400 million into the United States' economy. What very important result did this have on the manufacturers of silverware?
    Silver tableware became so commonplace that fashionable designers started to develop stainless steel patterns.
    Thicker and more durable layers of plating became standard by 1870.
    Nothing changed much, because the Civil War required most of the silver to finance it.
    The price of silver decreased enough to make solid sterling tableware available at competitive prices.


4. As Victorian etiquette blossomed, it was not unusual for a dinner to have seventeen courses, each consisting of two or more different foods. Naturally, it was necessary to invent a new utensil shape for each dish. After all, a standard place setting in the 1840s had only two forks and two spoons! Which of the following dishes did not have a new fork designed for it?
    Venison
    Ice cream
    Mango
    Crawfish


5. R. Wallace and Son calculated and announced in an advertisement about 1900 that a certain percentage of American babies were "born with a silver spoon in their mouths." What was their estimate?
    10%
    25%
    20%
    15%


6. The Aesthetic Movement in the 1870s included a preoccupation with Japanese styles and techniques. Inspired by Japanese metalwork, Tiffany successfully created a "mokume" (mo-koo-may) style. What was the defining feature of mokume?
    Other metals, including gold and bronze, made up part of the surface.
    Colored enamels in mosaic-like designs.
    Permanent oxidizing compounds applied in patterns suggesting calligraphy.
    Designs featuring only one element, such as a vine, on an otherwise smooth surface.


7. Gorham resolved to become the American masters of the Art Nouveau style in the 1890s. Their Martele (mar-te-lay) creations, exhibited at the Paris world's fair in 1900, included a full-size dressing table with stool and mirror! Parisian critics acclaimed Gorham's creations. Gorham planned to market a number of Martele pieces on the strength of this great success. What was the literal meaning of Martele?
    Hammered.
    Matte finish.
    Sinuous.
    Made by hand.


8. At the 1893 World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Gorham displayed a life-size statue of Christopher Columbus designed by the internationally celebrated sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. What statement about this creation is true?
    The hat and banner were made by a very early electrotype process, and were extremely fragile. They had to be applied after the statue was erected.
    It was made of solid silver and weighed 36,000 troy ounces.
    This statue is the most famous work by Bartholdi in the United States.
    All of these statements are true.


9. As the number of specialized serving and eating utensils were created, a "full service" of a pattern came to include how many pieces?
    Over 400 pieces
    Over 200 pieces
    Over 300 pieces
    Over 100 pieces


10. By 1926, the number of pieces produced in each pattern dropped to 57! Why on earth ...?
    Herbert Hoover recommended it.
    Amy Vanderbilt complained that even she was losing track of the proper way to use all of them.
    J. P. Morgan recommended it.
    Elsie de Wolfe, the celebrated interior designer, pronounced such elaborate table settings vulgar.


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Compiled May 21 13