Tiffany & Co was founded in New York in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany, initially as stationery and fancy goods store on Broadway, styled Tiffany & Young 1837-1841, when it became Tiffany, Young & Ellis till 1853, when Charles Lewis Tiffany took complete control of the firm, and it was designated Tiffany & Co. From about 1848, Tiffany began to focus on silver and precious stones, controlling their own silver manufacturing shop from 1851. By 1877 they had acquired the Tiffany diamond, a large yellow stone from the Kimberley Mines in South Africa and in 1887, they acquired major pieces at the sale of the French Crown Jewels in Paris. They moved to Fifth Avenue in 1905 and to their present address, Fifth Avenue and 57th street, in 1940.

Tiffany & Co. sold other manufacturers’ flatware until 1869, when they began making their own flatware. Before this date, flatware retailed by Tiffany bears both the Tiffany stamp and the maker’s stamp as a silver retailer and manufacturer. Reference: The British Museum

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The Watson Company was founded around 1874 by Clarence L. Watson, Fred Newell, Charles Cobb, Samuel Gould and W.A. Battey. The company made some excellent silverware and examples are shown below.

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Bailey & Kitchen. Originally Bailey & Co, the company was founded by Joseph Trowbridge Bailey and Andrew B. Kitchen. It was located at 136 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1840 Joseph’s brother Eli Westcott Bailey, a New York City jeweler and importer hurt financially by the Panic of 1837, came to Philadelphia and entered the firm. The name continued as Bailey & Kitchen. When Joseph died, Eli became the senior partner of Bailey & Co. until he retired in 1867, remaining a special partner until 1889. He died at 90 in 1899, his obituary appearing in the Jewelers’ Circular of 5 April of that year. The firm was located at the following addresses: 817 Chestnut Street (1857-68), 12th and Chestnut (1868-T904), 1218 Chestnut (1904-53), and 16th and Chestnut (1953-present). Reference: Dallas Museum of Art

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Samuel Kirk & Son was founded in 1815 when Philadelphia-trained Samuel Kirk finished his apprenticeship under James Howell and moved to Baltimore. Attracted by the prosperous port, Kirk opened his shop at 212 Market Street (later known as 106 Baltimore Street) with fellow silversmith, John Smith. After the partnership was dissolved in 1821, Samuel Kirk carried on the business alone until his eldest son, Henry Child Kirk, became a partner in 1846.

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Gorham Manufacturing Co. Gorham’s was founded by Jabez Gorham and Henry L Webster in 1831. The company was based in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1842 the company was succeeded by Jabez Gorham’s son, John Gorham where he proceeded to improve and expand the designs. Gorham’s employed master craftsmen including George Wilkinson, an English designer. From 1850 until 1940 Gorham’s was highly influential and in 1865 they traded as Gorham Manufacturing Company. Gorham’s silver has been used in the White House for many Administrations and in 1859, Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, purchased an extremely impressive tea and flatware service which was to be used in the White House. This was presented to the National Museum of American History in 1967. More recently, the George W Bush family have used the Gorham’s Chantilly Pattern flatware service aboard Air Force One.

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Reed & Barton is a prominent American silversmith manufacturer based in the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, operating between 1824 and 2015. Its products include sterling silver and silverplate flatware. The company produced many varieties of britannia and silver products since Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton took over the failing works of Isaac Babbitt in Taunton. During the American Civil War, Reed & Barton produced a considerable quantity of weapons for Union Army soldiers and officers.

In 1928, Reed & Barton merged with silversmith Dominick & Haff. Reference: Wikipedia

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