Davis Collamore & Co.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Importer of fine porcelain and glassware |
| Founded | 1842 |
| Founder | Davis Collamore |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Porcelain, glassware, cut glass |
Davis Collamore & Co. was a prestigious importer based in New York City, specializing in fine porcelain and glassware, under the leadership of Davis Collamore (7 October 1820 – 13 August 1887). Competing with prominent firms such as Tiffany & Co. and Black, Starr & Frost, the company commissioned pieces from renowned manufacturers like Copeland Spode and Thomas Minton Sons, known for their hand-painted embellishments layered over transfer-printed designs, often enhanced with elaborate gilding. The firm’s porcelain offerings also included products from Haviland, Royal Worcester, and Villeroy & Boch, all bearing the company's distinctive underglaze marks combined with those of the original makers. Among the early adopters appreciating the craftsmanship of American-made cut glass, Davis Collamore also represented Rookwood Pottery at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
Born in Scituate, Massachusetts into a family established there since 1639, Davis Collamore was the youngest of twelve siblings. At sixteen, he relocated to New York City to work for his brother Ebenezer, who imported glass and china from a location at 171 Broadway while residing near St. John's Park. In 1842, Davis founded his own enterprise at 595 Broadway.
_pg856_GILMAN_COLLAMORE_and_CO,_FIFTH_AVENUE,_NORTHWEST_CORNER_80TH_STREET.jpg)
His younger brother, Gilman Collamore (1834–1888), joined the business in 1854 but went on to establish Gilman Collamore & Co. in 1861. Initially situated at 731 Broadway, Gilman’s firm later moved to locations within Union Square before occupying two floors of showroom space in The Wilbraham, a stylish residential block for bachelors at Fifth Avenue and 30th Street that opened in 1890. Around 1920, new facilities were built for Gilman Collamore & Co. at 15 East 56th Street.
The locations of Davis Collamore & Co. evolved alongside the migration of affluent New Yorkers uptown. An advertisement for tea and dinner services from their early site at 479 Broadway, just south of Broome Street, appeared in Harper's Weekly on April 25, 1863. Subsequent retail outlets were established at Broadway and 21st Street, then on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 37th Street. By 1911, the company operated at Fifth Avenue and 48th Street before settling finally at 7 and 9 East 52nd Street. Additionally, a branch served customers in the fashionable resort town of Newport, Rhode Island.
On November 7, 1842, Davis Collamore married Hannah Augusta Fiske from Boston; they had four children, two of whom died during infancy. Mrs. Collamore passed away on November 13, 1882. As a member of the New York 7th Regiment, he was present during the Astor Place Riot in May 1849. In 1864, he acquired seventy acres in Orange, New Jersey, where he retired to "Belhurst," a country residence designed by his nephew George Hathorne and situated on the mountain’s slope.