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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.

Author
ragiel

Time
8 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
189,760

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
378

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

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 As early as 1804, it began to be superseded by a white alloy called Brittania metal.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

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.

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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

Solid silver inlays at the points most susceptible to wear.

Exclusive pattern designs for customers ordering silver in bulk.

Double, triple, or quadruple plating.

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

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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

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

Nothing changed much, because the Civil War required most of the silver to finance it.

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.

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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

Crawfish

Mango

Venison

Ice cream

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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

15%

20%

10%

25%

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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

Permanent oxidizing compounds applied in patterns suggesting calligraphy.

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

Colored enamels in mosaic-like designs.

Designs featuring only one element, such as a vine, on an otherwise smooth surface.

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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

Sinuous.

Made by hand.

Matte finish.

Hammered.

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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

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.

All of these statements are true.

This statue is the most famous work by Bartholdi in the United States.

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

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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

Over 100 pieces

Over 300 pieces

Over 400 pieces

Over 200 pieces

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Question 10 of 10

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

Elsie de Wolfe, the celebrated interior designer, pronounced such elaborate table settings vulgar.

J. P. Morgan recommended it.

Herbert Hoover recommended it.

Amy Vanderbilt complained that even she was losing track of the proper way to use all of them.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

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".

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.

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.

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.

Answer: 15%

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

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.

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.

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

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