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Author Topic:   Garrett & Son Information
Kahfree

Posts: 4
Registered: Oct 2004

iconnumber posted 06-19-2008 11:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kahfree     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
[26-1676]

I have a serving spoon which I think is Silver, though it could be silverplate. The name on the back is "Garrett & Son A1" and some sort of a mark in a pear type shape. I can't seem to find anything about this company, or the makers, or if it is silver or plate. Does anyone know anything about the maker? The spoon has a monogram also on the end of the handle.

Thank you


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agphile

Posts: 798
Registered: Apr 2008

iconnumber posted 06-20-2008 08:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for agphile     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I don't jnow the company but this sounds like a typical British EPNS mark, the A1 meant to indicate the quality of the electroplate.

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 06-21-2008 06:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I've been trying to understand the history of 'Garrett & Son' myself. I inherited a set of (solid) silver teaspoons and tablespoons by Phillip Garrett of Philadelphia, and have been seeking out information about and pieces from makers with a connection to him.

Phillip Garrett worked on his own (mark P. Garrett) from 1801-1828 and then with his son Thomas C. Garrett in Philadelphia from 1828-1835 (mark P. Garrett & Son). I'm particularly interested in finding pieces from that partnership that are solid silver.

Electroplating didn't come to the U.S. until after the end of the father & son partnership, though there was an earlier process of "'close-plating': covering small metal objects with silver foil and borax and heating them red-hot to fuse the metals."

That quote is from Spoons by Gail Belden & Michael Snodin (1976).

On page 20, which covers early silverplating, there is a picture of a silverplated mustard spoon in an upturned fiddle tipt pattern, marked 'P. Garrett & Son' and 'A1' in rectangles (their description; the mark is not pictured). The authors date it as '1858; c. 1840'. Not sure what that means; my guess is that the first date is the earliest date of provenance, and c. 1840 is the estimated date of production.

The younger Garrett worked on his own starting in 1836 (mark T.C. Garrett) and then with partners (T.C. Garrett & Co.), ending sometime in 1860. Items with those marks are all solid silver. In that last phase the company retailed other makers' products, though they may have continued to make their own, too. Mmost of the items I've seen with the later mark are Polhamus pieces.

But, on the other hand, 'Garrett & Son' is listed in the Philadelphia 1860 directory on wev's site as 'silverplater'. So is 'Thomas C. Garrett' at another address.

Confirmation of the business' existence in 1860 is this entry in the finding aid done by D. Albert Soeffing of Winterthur Library's Downs collection of ephemera:

quote:
Garrett & Son, manufacturers of superior silver-plated ware, Market and Decatur Sts., Philadelphia, 1862. Decorated with picture showing various pieces of silver ware. Stationery printed by Mann, 43 S. 4th St. All bills are addressed to Thos. C. Garrett. (ca. 80 pieces)

So my theory is that Thomas ran a silverplate production business, Garrett & Son, separate from his silver production-then-retailer business, T.C. Garrett & Co.

I also now have a silverplate spoon, upturned fiddle tipt, marked Garrett & Son A1. Without a 'P.'; unlike yours and the mustard spoon in the Belden book, the marks are not inside rectangles or any other shape.

The question I'm not sure how to answer is when the silverplating business began and ended. Thomas Garrett's nephew Samuel Biddle (later of Bailey, Banks & Biddle) apprenticed with him in 1857 and took over his business at some point after 1860, but was that both the silver and the silverplate enterprises?

Hope that helps some. I'd love to know more.

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Scott Martin
Forum Master

Posts: 11520
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 06-21-2008 09:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scott Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Kahfree,

Since you have returned to seek ssf help again (first post: posted 10-22-2004 08:07 PM (Meriden Britannia Company Coffee Urn), it would be nice if you would introduce yourself to everyone and tell us why your are asking about this spoon.

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Kahfree

Posts: 4
Registered: Oct 2004

iconnumber posted 06-21-2008 10:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kahfree     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Its been a while since I have posted here, so yes, I can reintroduce myself and am sorry if I overlooked doing so. I am Kelly, and I own my home daycare and love old pieces of anything, including history. However, I love a challenge. Which is why I am here posting this week.

My current question that I have posted here a few days ago is due to the throwing away of a spoon that I insisted must be silver, although a friend said it was not, which is why he threw it away. (I cater part time, and he said it was old and ugly) I saved it from the trash and bet him I can find out if it is silver, or silver plate and the approx value, ages, history, etc.

He said I could not, and that if it were indeed silver, it would have the .925 mark. I disagree, as I don't think that this was used ever since silver was made, and believe that to be false. The piece belonged to the family who began the catering in 1962, but brought with them from Michigan which was in their family a while.

To the POSTERS: Thank you for the information on Garrett & Son, but one thing I would like to point out is that there is no first Initial on my piece, and it simply says in a rectangle box, GARRETT & SON then outside that is the A1. I can submit a photo of the piece for further information if needed or requested. I really just need to find out anything I can on the item in question so that I can win the bet, and then, perhaps just display the piece as a trophy of my successful research so he can see it all the time! smile So, I will keep researching, but does anyone know where there may be images of the GARRETT & SON Patterns? I would love to find a matching image so I can place a pattern name on it.

Thank you everyone!

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Scott Martin
Forum Master

Posts: 11520
Registered: Apr 93

iconnumber posted 06-22-2008 02:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scott Martin     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you for the introduction.

It would really help if we could see photos of the marks and of the spoon.

This info might be relevant. Found on a trade card for the 1876 Philadelphia Worlds Fair Int Expo Silver Adv Card.

George B. Garrett
Garrett & Son Manufacturers of Sterling Silver Plated Ware

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 06-22-2008 05:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Kahfree: there is no first Initial on my piece, and it simply says in a rectangle box, GARRETT & SON then outside that is the A1.

And as I said, I have a silverplate serving spoon marked exactly the same way except that the GARRETT & SON is incised directly, not in a rectangle.

Your piece is almost certainly a silverplated product of GARRETT & SON, a company that was in business at least as early as 1860 (probably earlier) and at least as late as 1876.

I will be happy to post images of my spoon tomorrow. Please post an image of yours, along with the mark. The only examples of GARRETT & SON pieces I've seen (three) all are of the 'fiddle tipt' pattern.

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wev
Moderator

Posts: 4121
Registered: Apr 99

iconnumber posted 06-22-2008 06:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for wev     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Please also bear in mind that there is no relationship between Philip and Thomas C. Garrett and George B. Garrett. The former pair were jewelers and silversmiths; the latter a factory manufacturer of silverplate.

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 06-22-2008 11:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
@wev: What are your thoughts, then, on the stationery order in the Winterthur ephemera collection? The bills went to Thomas C. Garrett, and it was a silverplate company.

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 06-22-2008 11:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Also, wev or anyone: How should the dating information in the Belden & Snodin boo be interpreted?

Any information on when the George Garrettt 'Garrett & Son' company came into existence? Or its location?

I was very glad to see Kahfree's inquiry because I've been seriously confused about this for a while -- and had not run into any mention of George Garrett.

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wev
Moderator

Posts: 4121
Registered: Apr 99

iconnumber posted 06-23-2008 12:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for wev     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
What are your thoughts, then, on the stationery order in the Winterthur ephemera collection?

The collection notation is rather sloppy. The bills in question were issued by Garrett & Son to Thomas Garrett for goods purchased, ie wholesaler to retailer. There is nothing in them to imply a connection between the two parties beside a commercial transaction.

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bascall

Posts: 1629
Registered: Nov 99

iconnumber posted 06-23-2008 09:14 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for bascall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It looks like George B may the "Son" in this company. The 1860 U S Federal Census for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lists him as a manufacturer at age 26. Later census's do not show him having a son. Both of George B's parents are listed as being born in Pennsylvania. Hopefully, there's some more information that is yet to be uncovered.

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wev
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iconnumber posted 06-23-2008 11:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for wev     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
He is listed as a silverplate manufacturer in the 1880 census, as well. His parents were Amos and Thomazin (Bishop) Garrett. Four generations further back, this line and Thomas Cresson Garrett's cross. I have not found anything yet on Amos.

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bascall

Posts: 1629
Registered: Nov 99

iconnumber posted 06-23-2008 12:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for bascall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
George B is also a silver plater in the 1870 U S Federal Census. Amos it appears is listed in the 1850 U S Federal Census as a butcher in Phoenixville, Chester County, Pennsylvania, and by the 1860 U S Federal Census for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Amos is a master silver plater. By 1870 it looks like Thomazin has passed away, and Amos is married to Elizabeth Stonehill, an Englishwomen. So at the least, this should mean that the Garretts began silver plating in the 1850's.

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 06-23-2008 02:30 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
wev and bascall, thank you so much. I completely misunderstood the Soeffing notation; I thought it was a bill for 'Garrett & Son' stationery from the printer to Thomas C. Garrett.

So: Silverplated items marked 'Garrett & Son' were made by the company associated with George B. Garrett. Kahfree has an example with the maker's mark in a rectangle punch; I have an example with the words incised directly.

That brings me back to the silverplated mustard spoon marked 'P. Garrett & Son' in the Belden & Snodin book. (The spoon is in the Winterthur collection, I think.) How should their date information -- "1858; c. 1840" be interpreted? I took it to mean that the documented provenance of the spoon went back to 1858, and that the authors' estimate of production date was c.1840.

I was very shocked to see an item with that mark

  1. silverplated, at a time when electroplating had not come in, and certainly hadn't come in to firms as small as I imagined the Philip Garrett & Thomas Garrett shop to be.
  2. dated after the end of the father-son partnership.
But I figured that
  1. it could have been produced by the older foil-wrapping method of plating,
  2. it's quite possible that the 'P. Garrett & Son' punch might have been used by Thomas Garrett for a little time after that business ended, and
  3. the Belden-Snodin 'c.1840' is an estimate, and presumably could be stretched back to 1835.
But another possibility occurred to me, because the authors don't picture the marks. Could it simply be a mistake, and the mark is actually 'Garrett & Son'? This seems unlikely, both because the mustard spoon is on a page illustrating 'Early Silverplating', and because the authors are recognized scholars.

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wev
Moderator

Posts: 4121
Registered: Apr 99

iconnumber posted 06-23-2008 02:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for wev     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Until the piece can be tracked down and the mark verified, I would assume the authors are simply mistaken or there existed a wholly unrelated retailer of the same name.

While Thomas Cresson obviously retailed silverplate, it is very doubtful that his father did, before or after their partnership. Though wholesale plating was, in fact, done in the mid to late 1840s, it was not generally established in the marketplace until after Philip's death in 1851 and it would be a decade or more before the term "A1" came into use.

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 06-24-2008 01:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Now I'm realizing that the only time I've heard of the mark 'P. Garrett & Son' is the description in the Belden & Snodin book, which I really do believe is an error (until I see an image of the mark).

Have you, wev, or has anyone, particularly mid-Atlantic types, ever seen silver with a mark 'P. Garrett & Son'? I'm wondering whether, given that they weren't working together all that long, each of the two didn't just each use his own mark on his own pieces, and that there never was a maker's mark for that partnership.

One less item to seek for the 'Philadelphia Story' collection, if so...

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ellabee

Posts: 306
Registered: Dec 2007

iconnumber posted 06-24-2008 01:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ellabee     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'll try to get a photo up of the marks on my silverplated 'Garrett & Son' spoon if you'd like it for your Amos Garrett and George B. Garrett pages, wev. And for general interest here.

The monogram on the spoon is very old-fashioned looking, so I think it might be from the first two decades of the business.

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Kahfree

Posts: 4
Registered: Oct 2004

iconnumber posted 06-24-2008 02:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kahfree     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for all the information. Enclosed are 3 photos of my spoon that I have. Its stained and beat up a bit, but still interesting I suppose.

Doing my research, I found out that it resembles the Fiddle Pattern and it is also monogrammed with an E.T. or an E. J. Not sure what the second letter is.

The way I understand some of the posts is that not many pieces are found from the Garrett & Son collections? Since there seems to be very little on the makers, I wounder if a lot of their items got lost, destroyed or they just did not have a very big production run.

Let me know what you think of the images I uploaded. Oh, and I guess I was wrong about the name being in a rectangle, as my eyes are not as good as the camera and I thought it looked that way. Sorry if this caused confusion.

Thank you!
Kelly

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James miller

Posts: 1
Registered: Jun 2014

iconnumber posted 06-14-2014 03:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for James miller     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I picked up a garrett and son A1 12inch ladle today. It has a fiddle back design and an oyster shaped bowl. Only slight wear on the bottom.
I enjoyed reading your posts on garrett and son. I will try to post pictures but I am new to this I pad and this site. Jim miller

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