Tea set, 1919-1924

Tray made by Mulholland Brothers, Inc., Aurora, IL
Teapot, sugar, and creamer made by Homan Manufacturing Co., Cincinnati, OH
Colonial Revival style
Silver-plated nickel silver

Around 1904 Marshall Field's department store added a craft shop and metal foundary to their jewelry workroom, partly to satisfy the demand for Colonial-inspired silverware similar to this tea set. The simple and unadorned lines were a complete departure from the highly ornate and free-flowing designs of earlier Victorian and Art Nouveau pieces. The "hammered" surface was meant to imitate the fine, hand-wrought pieces made by Colonial silversmiths and revived by artisans in the early 1900s.

Illinois State Museum purchase (1984.77.1-.4)

Metal

© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96