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Quiz about A Gleaming Torrent 19th Century American Silver
Quiz about A Gleaming Torrent 19th Century American Silver

A Gleaming Torrent: 19th Century American Silver Quiz


The development of mass-production techniques in the 1800s permitted silver to swirl and blossom as never before - or since.

A multiple-choice quiz by ragiel. Estimated time: 8 mins.
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Author
ragiel
Time
8 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
189,760
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
377
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
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 As early as 1804, it began to be superseded by a white alloy called Brittania metal.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? Hint


Question 2 of 10
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? Hint


Question 3 of 10
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? Hint


Question 4 of 10
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? Hint


Question 5 of 10
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? Hint


Question 6 of 10
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? Hint


Question 7 of 10
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? Hint


Question 8 of 10
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? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. As the number of specialized serving and eating utensils were created, a "full service" of a pattern came to include how many pieces? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. By 1926, the number of pieces produced in each pattern dropped to 57! Why on earth ...? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
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?

Answer: Unlike pewter, it could be produced in the United States without reliance on imported materials.

Tin was still a major ingredient in Britannia formulas; it was mostly imported from Cornwall in England until American mining and metallurgy progressed. "Britannia metal" actually referred to a number of patented alloys, each kept secret by its manufacturers. Other white alloys were rapidly developed, including those known as "Alaskan silver", "German silver", and "nickel silver".
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?

Answer: Copper or brass as the metal core to be plated with silver.

Both copper and brass were easy to plate with silver by the standard process, but the yellow or reddish color revealed by wear was considered unattractive.
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?

Answer: The price of silver decreased enough to make solid sterling tableware available at competitive prices.

This is in contrast to the history of silverware in Britain, where both machine-made sterling and electroplated ware competed throughout the nineteenth century to replace the hand-wrought pieces. Today in both countries commercially-manufactured sterling, electroplate, and stainless steel flatware are all available. Silver worked by hand is no longer competitive in the marketplace, but is produced on a small scale as a very expensive specialty.
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?

Answer: Venison

Venison continued to be eaten with the regular dinner fork used for other meats. Yes, they did make an ice-cream fork. It was somewhat bowl-shaped and had broad, flat lines. Nobody was successful in designing a soup fork, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that somebody tried.
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?

Answer: 15%

Wallace would naturally have liked to supply silver spoons for all of them!
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?

Answer: Other metals, including gold and bronze, made up part of the surface.

The pre-eminent French silver company, Cristofle, claimed to have developed a mokume process before Tiffany's. Tiffany retorted that their process was in commercial production while Cristofle's was still at an experimental stage.
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?

Answer: Hammered.

Despite its brilliant critical success, Martele was a financial disappointment. It required very highly-skilled silversmiths to use the complicated techniques. Workers of this caliber were hard to find and demanded higher pay. The complicated designs also took many days to complete, and each piece was unique.

As a result, it proved impossible to sell Martele work at a profit. Style changes also played a part. Floridly decorated Victorian styles began to seem old-fashioned. The newer "Arts and Crafts" metalware was simpler, decorated only by the hammer marks left by the maker.
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?

Answer: It was made of solid silver and weighed 36,000 troy ounces.

Techniques used on this statue included casting, chasing and repousse, but not electrotype. "Most famous" is often so subjective as to be meaningless, but Bartholdi also designed the Statue of Liberty, so I feel pretty safe saying it here.
9. As the number of specialized serving and eating utensils were created, a "full service" of a pattern came to include how many pieces?

Answer: Over 400 pieces

Reed & Barton listed 404 pieces in a service for 12. The mahogany chest provided had four drawers and workmanship to compare with the best cabinetry.
10. By 1926, the number of pieces produced in each pattern dropped to 57! Why on earth ...?

Answer: Herbert Hoover recommended it.

Hoover was then serving as Secretary of Commerce. He recommended simplification of many areas of production, not just tableware.

The silver industry was in fact badly in need of of modernization by 1926. Economic changes after the first World War made servants much fewer in number, and the population able to entertain on the Victorian scale was drastically reduced. When the major manufacturers (Gorham, Tiffany, Reed & Barton among others) announced the revision of their catalogs, it was probably with a sense of relief.

Three years later, as President of the United States, Hoover had to deal with the catastrophic Depression. Despite his experience in commerce and finance, he was unsuccessful.

Thank you, everybody who got here! I hope you had as much fun with this quiz as I did composing it.
Source: Author ragiel

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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