Gorham Manufacturing Company

Gorham Manufacturing Company
Company type	Private company
Industry	Silverware manufacturing, bronze sculpture foundry
Founded	January 1, 1831; 195 years ago in Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Founder	Jabez Gorham and Henry L. Webster
Fate	Acquired and merged into Lenox Corporation
Successor	Lenox Corporation (as part of Lenox Group)
Headquarters	Providence, United States
Area served	United States
Key people	John Gorham (leader from 1847), William Christmas Codman (designer)
Products	Sterling silver, silverplate, bronze sculptures, flatware, hollowware
Owner	Lenox Corporation (current)
Parent	Lenox Corporation

The Gorham Manufacturing Company stood as one of the foremost American producers of sterling and silverplate, as well as a leading foundry specializing in bronze sculptures.

History

Established in 1831 in Providence, Rhode Island by skilled artisan Jabez Gorham, in collaboration with Henry L. Webster, the company initially focused on crafting coin silver spoons, thimbles, combs, and jewelry. The 1842 tariff restricting imported silverware stimulated the domestic market; however, substantial expansion occurred after Jabez’s son, John Gorham, assumed leadership in 1847.

John Gorham introduced mechanized manufacturing processes, enlarged production facilities, refined design quality, and broadened the product range. His 1852 trip to Europe to study silver craftsmanship inspired the recruitment of talented foreign artisans such as English designer George Wilkinson. In 1865, the Rhode Island legislature formally incorporated the enterprise as Gorham Manufacturing Company, which moved in 1890 to a new factory on Adelaide Avenue in Providence.

Between 1850 and 1940, Gorham held a pivotal role in shaping American silver production. Notably, designer William Christmas Codman developed the renowned Chantilly flatware pattern in 1895. The firm produced coordinated sterling and silverplate hollowware collections.

In 1884, Gorham launched a retail location within Manhattan’s Ladies' Mile district before relocating in 1905 to a Fifth Avenue building designed by architect Stanford White. The company grew through acquisitions including New Jersey’s Kerr & Co in 1906 and Massachusetts-based Whiting Manufacturing Company in 1924.

Textron purchased Gorham in 1967; however, some critics argue that quality deteriorated due to management’s insufficient expertise with fine sterling silver craftsmanship. Textron intended to divest Gorham by 1988, ultimately selling it to Dansk International Designs in 1989. Brown-Forman Corporation acquired Gorham from Dansk two years later. In 2005, Lenox gained ownership of Gorham through its acquisition of Department 56 holdings and rebranded the entity as Lenox Group.

Following Lenox Group’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2009, Clarion Capital Partners took over the company. Presently, Lenox Corporation manages three divisions: Lenox, Dansk, and Gorham.

Major commissions

Gorham silver services have been featured throughout numerous presidencies at the White House. In 1859, Mary Todd Lincoln purchased an elaborate tea and flatware set that was later donated to the National Museum of American History in 1957. Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant commissioned the Century Vase for the nation’s centennial celebration; this piece contained over of sterling silver. In 1899, Gorham fashioned an impressive "loving cup" composed of 70,000 dimes for Admiral George Dewey.

The largest single commission was placed by Colonel Henry Jewett Furber, president of Universal Life Insurance Company of New York: an extravagant 740-piece Furber service exemplifying intricate Victorian dining aesthetics. A monumental silver and parcel-gilt "Neptune" epergne from this set was exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Later, Textron donated much of this collection to the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, where it remains a permanent part of their American decorative arts holdings.

In 1907, Gorham produced an ornate silver service for the battleship USS Rhode Island. After World War I ended, the US Navy returned this service to Rhode Island; it is currently displayed within the State Room of the Rhode Island State House. The family of George W. Bush selected Gorham’s Chantilly flatware for use aboard Air Force One.

In 1910, the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies commissioned a bronze bust of Thomas Edison from Gorham designers Wm. C. & E. E. Codman; they distributed 173 one-pound souvenir replicas during their convention—demonstrating Gorham’s diversified product offerings.

Gorham acquired rights in 1921 to The Hiker, a statue by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson honoring American soldiers from the Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, and Philippine–American War. Over a span of forty-four years, at least fifty casts were made by Gorham and installed across Providence and various Massachusetts communities.

The company’s artisans also crafted significant monuments such as George Washington’s statue located in the Capitol Rotunda, Theodore Roosevelt’s statue at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, and the Independent Man that crowns the Rhode Island State House.

Additionally, Gorham designed prestigious awards including the Borg-Warner Trophy for the Indianapolis 500, created by designer Robert J. Hill.

European acclaim

In 1886, the London Magazine of Art highlighted the contrast between the traditionalism of English silversmiths and the inventive spirit of American firms, noting that Gorham regularly launched fresh and appealing flatware designs every few years, providing comprehensive tableware sets ranging from salt spoons to soup ladles. By 1893, a French critic lauded America's "extraordinary creativity" in table service designs, particularly emphasizing F. A. Heller’s elaborate decoration and engraving skills for Gorham.

Providence

Spanning 37 acres in Providence’s Elmwood district, Gorham’s manufacturing complex consisted of more than 30 buildings. The facility operated from 1890 until its closure in 1986. The City of Providence acquired the property in 1992 and demolished it in 1997. Despite notable contamination of soil and groundwater—including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxin—Alvarez High School was constructed on this location in 2006. This environmental situation reflects the industrial impact left by Gorham’s operations.

New York City

Two structures linked to the Gorham Manufacturing Company have been officially recognized as New York City landmarks.

Gorham Manufacturing Company Building

Situated at 889–891 Broadway within Manhattan's Flatiron District, this Queen Anne style edifice was designed by Edward Hale Kendall and erected between 1883 and 1884 to serve as Gorham’s retail outlet. Initially occupying only the lower stories, Gorham eventually expanded to occupy the entire building before moving out in 1905. Converted into lofts and office space in 1912, it underwent restoration in 1977, incorporating retail shops on the ground floor with cooperative apartments above. The building received landmark status in 1984.

Gorham Building

Following its departure from Ladies' Mile, Gorham relocated to an Italian Renaissance Revival palazzo-style structure at 390 Fifth Avenue and West 36th Street in Murray Hill. Designed by McKim, Mead & White under Stanford White’s supervision, construction took place from 1904 to 1906. Distinctive features include bronze balconies and friezes crafted by Gorham’s own artisans, capped with a copper cornice. Between 1924 and 1959, the building housed Russeks department store; beginning in 1960, Spear Securities occupied it and modified the street-level facade. Despite these alterations, it was designated a landmark in 1998.

Gorham’s role as a sculpture foundry

During the early 1880s, Gorham broadened its production to include ecclesiastical castings and in 1889 completed its inaugural statue, The Skirmisher by Frederick Kohlhagen, now displayed at Gettysburg National Military Park.

To advertise its sculpture division, Gorham crafted a sterling silver statue of Christopher Columbus for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. This piece was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, famed for creating the Statue of Liberty. The silver statue functioned as a prominent promotional exhibit before being melted down after the fair concluded. A bronze reproduction was subsequently presented to Providence in 1893 but was removed in June 2020.

In 1896, Gorham became a pioneer of lost-wax casting technology in America with the bust Judge Carpenter by W. Granville Hastings. This advancement positioned the foundry as a premier art casting facility nationwide.

Gorham also manufactured Confederate monuments associated with the "Lost Cause" narrative for organizations such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy, including the notable 1910 George Davis Monument located in Wilmington, NC.

The 1928 Gorham publication Famous Small Bronzes featured works by esteemed sculptors like Chester Beach, Gutzon Borglum, Cyrus Dallin, and Anna Hyatt Huntington. The company additionally produced monumental sculptures for American Renaissance figures such as Augustus Saint Gaudens and Daniel Chester French. Among its significant contributions are small lost-wax bronze busts of Thomas Edison, modeled by E. E. Codman and issued in 1910, which hold historical importance.

Records from the Smithsonian indicate that Gorham’s foundry appears over seven hundred times within American sculpture documentation, highlighting its widespread impact on the art casting industry.

External links

Gorham Whistles featured at the Whistle Museum
Gray, Christopher. "A Residence with Silver Accents for Gentlemen." The New York Times. September 3, 2009.
Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes: The 1905 Gorham Building at Fifth Avenue and 36th Street; Restoring a Stanford White Design Through Painting." The New York Times. October 22, 2000.
1926 Film of Gorham Manufacturing Company Facilities