Pitcher, Beer

Object Name:

Pitcher, Beer

Object ID:

2025.023.04

Creator:

Durgin, William B. Company -- Silversmith

Place of Origin:

Concord, NH

Date:

circa 1885

Description:

Pitcher, Beer. Sterling silver beer pitcher with low relief hops and wheat design along the upper half with the handle resembling a vine, William B. Durgin, Concord, New Hampshire, c. 1885. The underside of the pitcher is stamped with "STERLING SILVER / 925 | 1000 / RAND & CRANE," along with the Durgin maker's mark of the letter "D" above a flying bird within a wreath, and "20". Engraved around these marks is the inscription "Harriet E. Nichols / From / Mr. & Mrs. James E. Gale / June 2, 1886."

Material:

Silver

Dimensions:

H-8 W-6 D-8.125 inches

Provenance:

This pitcher was a wedding gift from banker James E. Gale (1831-1888) and his wife Julia Maria Hutchinson Gale (1833-1888) of Haverhill, Massachusetts. They purchased the pitcher from the jeweler Rand & Crane on Park Street in Boston. It was given to Harriet E. Nichols (1858-1946) of Haverhill, Massachusetts, who married publisher Joseph George Cupples (1851-1915) of Boston, on June 2, 1886 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The couple settled in Brookline, with this pitcher provideing us with a rare look at how beer was served at the table of an upper class household in the 1880s.

Credit Line:

Richard F. Upton New Hampshire Silver Collection, Gift of William W. Upton

People:

Durgin, William B. (1833-1905)

Subjects:

Silversmiths, Silver services, Silverware industry, Beer