Gorham silver used these housemarks in its sterling silver items:

1848-1868? (lion facing left)

from 1853 (lion facing right)

GORHAM DATE MARKS (click here)

GORHAM MARTELE (click here)

GORHAM FLATWARE PATTERNS (click here)

GORHAM ADVERTISEMENTS (click here)

GORHAM HISTORY

The origins of Gorham are in 1831 when the firm of Jabez Gorham was joined by Henry L. Webster in the Gorham & Webster.
In its history the firm assumed these names: Gorham & Webster (1831-1837), Gorham Webster & Price (1837-1841), J. Gorham & Son (1841-1850), Gorham & Thurber (1850-1852), Gorham & Company (1852-1865), Gorham Mfg. Co. (1865-1961), Gorham Corp. (from 1961).
The company moved into a new headquarters in Providence, RI in 1890 as employment surpassed 500, and in 1905 they opened a retail outlet on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Throughout the latter half of the 19th century and into the 20th, Gorham attracted some of the best designers and silver artisans in the world.
Their rapidly expanding business of doing one-of-a-kind pieces on commission for major world figures and events expanded their profile and introduced Gorham to an international clientele.
The decline of Gorham began in 1967, when the company was purchased by Textron, a move that some critics claim decreased quality due to management's lack of understanding of Gorham's specialty, producing high-quality sterling silverware and holloware.
Textron sold the company to Dansk International Designs in 1989.
Brown-Forman Corporation acquired Gorham from Dansk in 1991 and in 2005 resold the unit to Department 56 in the Lenox holdings transaction, with the resulting company renamed as Lenox Group.
However, in 2009 Lenox Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and it was subsequently acquired by Clarion Capital Partners, operating under the name Lenox Corporation, which has three operating divisions, Lenox, Dansk and Gorham.
Gorham is now (2020) property of Lifetime Brands, Inc. owner of other historic brands as International Silver, Kirk Stieff, Poole, Towle Silversmiths, Tuttle and Wallace.

THE PREDECESSORS

Gorham & Webster mark, 1831-1837


Gorham Webster & Price, mark 1837-1841


J. Gorham & Son, mark 1841-1850


Gorham & Thurber, mark 1850-1852




Gorham & Company, mark 1852-1868

GORHAM MFG CO

Gorham Mfg Co: a variety of marks until c. 1900: (left to right) 1862 - 1869 - 1871 - 1876 - 1880 - 1892 - 1897


Gorham Mfg Co: a single type of mark from c. 1900 onwards: (left to right) 1900 - 1914 - 1928 - 1951 - 1969 - 1985


Gorham Martelé


Gorham Athenic


Gorham Mixed and Other Metals marks


Gorham silverplate (from c. 1867)

GORHAM IN THE UK

Gorham Mfg Co acted as importer in the UK and, later, sponsor/maker of sterling silver ware manufactured in the UK. Their first English agency has been opened in London in 1894 (32 Essex Street, Strand). New showrooms were opened in 1904 (Ely Place, Holborn). In 1909 they took an English factory, previously owned by Henry Emanuel of Birmingham who remained as superintendent. Adjoining Time Works, the premises of William Erhardt Ltd, watch manufacturers (214 Barr Street, Birmingham) the factory was known as Sterling Works. Gorham, maintaining the factory until the outbreak of WWI, was a large exhibitor at the Jewellers' Exhibitions of 1913 and 1914. Gorham entered various GMCo hallmarks at Birmingham Assay Office and London Assay Office (1904, 1910) but the first mark was entered by John Henry Buck (JHB) in 1894 for the interest of Gorham as importer.

GORHAM DATING SYSTEM

When Gorham adopted the sterling standard in 1868, they began a system of year-marks which were stamped into their products to denote the year in which they were made. Starting with A for 1868, letters of the alphabet were used until 1884 (Q). From 1885 until 1933 a different symbol was used each year.
This dating system was used also on silver plate items.

This is a preview of date marks symbols. Click on the images to view the complete series of Gorham year's date marks

Gorham Manufacturing Company - Elmwood - Rhode Island (circa 1900)

United States Patent Office Statement and Declaration of Trade-Mark No. 33902 to Gorham Manufacturing Company (October 7, 1899). The patent refers to a trade-mark consisting of "... three raised panels in which the central panel has the conventional shape of a heraldic shield on which is the representation of an anchor. The panels on each side of the central panel are inclosed by a series of central lines, the points of intersecation of the lines being within a circle. The panel on the left of the central panel has on it the representation of a lion, and the panel on the right of the central panel has the capital letter 'G' in old English. Underneath the central panel is the word 'sterling'in plain Latin text.... This trade-mark has been continiously used by the said corporation since about January 1, 1853 ..."

GORHAM photo gallery Gorham 1848-1865 Gorham hallmark 1871 Gorham hallmark 1873 Gorham hallmark 1885 Gorham Martelé Gorham Athenic Gorham hallmark (fine) Gorham hallmark 1892 Gorham hallmark 1930 Gorham hallmark 1960 Gorham hallmark 1886 Gorham hallmark Durgin SILVERPLATE AND ELECTROPLATED SILVER OF USA AND CANADA AMERICAN SILVERPLATE MARKS Aa / Al      Am / Az      Ba / Bh      Bi / Bz      C      D      E      F      G      H      I      J      K      L      Ma / Mh      Mi / Mz      N      O      P      Q      Ra / Rn      Ro / Rz      Sa / Sl      Sm / Sz      T      U      V      Wa / Wd      We / Wz      X      Y      Z      LITERAL MARKS - INITIAL LETTERS          A - B - C - D - E       F - G - H - I - J - K - L       M - N - O - P - Q - R - S       T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z      FIGURAL MARKS         anchors, animals, arrows, bells,       birds, candelabra, crosses, crowns      fantastical entities, horses       human figures, lions,  musical instruments      plants and vegetables, stars      swords axes blades,    tools, windmills, others AMERICAN SILVERSMITHS         ALVIN CORPORATION      BLACK, STARR & FROST       J.E.CALDWELL & CO    CLEMENS FRIEDELL    WILLIAM GALE    GORHAM      HOLMES & EDWARDS    HOTCHKISS & SCHREUDER    INTERNATIONAL SILVER CO      KIRK STIEFF      DANIEL LOW & CO      LUNT SILVERSMITHS      MAUSER MFG. CO      MERIDEN BRITANNIA CO      POOLE SILVER CO      REED & BARTON      BERNARD RICE'S SONS      ROGERS      GEORGE W. SHIEBLER & CO      SHREVE, CRUMP & LOW      SIMPSON, HALL, MILLER & CO      WILLIAM SPRATLING      ARTHUR STONE      TIFFANY & CO      TOWLE      TUTTLE SILVERSMITHS     WALLACE      WATSON COMPANY      E.G. WEBSTER & SON     WHITING MFG CO     WILCOX SILVER PLATE CO

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