Fletcher and Gardiner: presentation silver for the nation
Date
2004
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This thesis considers presentation works in silver and gold created by America's leading designers and manufacturers Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner in the context of their relentless efforts to produce artistry unmatched in the young republic. Fletcher and Gardiner partnered in 1808 and in the following two decades their firm became the most recognized retailer of jewelry, fancy hardware, and fashionable silver in the country. ☐ The renown garnered from presentation pieces (specific works created to commemorate public figures and historic events), played a critical role in raising and sustaining the artistic and business ventures Fletcher and Gardiner pursued from Philadelphia to Vera Cruz. This investigation of silver urns, vases, and gold-hilted swords makes use of unpublished objects and archival information to update and examine the firm's history. Topics investigated include stylistic influences, craftsmanship practices, shifts in cultural meaning and consumption demands, and consideration of the life of objects through time.
Description
"Copyrighted materials in this document have not been scanned at the request of the author. They are available for consultation in the author's university library; pgs 172,174,188,193-196,198,202-203,209"--Unnumbered page inserted by UMI.