Bed pan
Museum Object Number1968.0601 |
Object Name
Bed pan
Category
Metals
Credit Line/Donor
Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
Creator (Role)
Thomas Danforth III (Maker)
Sherman Boardman (Maker)
Creator Notes
Thomas Danforth III is the grandson of Thomas I, son of Thomas II; brother of Joseph Sr, Edward, Jonathan (of Middletown) and Samuel (of Middletown); nephew of John; cousin of Samuel (of Norwich); uncle to Joseph Jr and Josiah. Nineteen members of the Danforth family, spread over five generations, became invovled with manufacturing pewter or britannia. They were headed by Thomas Danforth I (active 1733-1786), who moved from Taunton, Massachusetts to Norwich, Connecticut in 1733. Though Thomas I may have manufactured pewter, it was not his primary trade. He probably acted mostly as a merchant in a business with his son, John (of Norwich); it is also possible that he sold goods coming from his son Thomas II in Middletown (according to Thomas; see references below). (Please note: not all scholars agree that Thomas I was not a pewterer. For example, Montgomery assigns two marks to the eldest Thomas.) Thomas III trained with his father, Thomas II, from about 1770 to 1777, possibly also learning brass and coppersmithing. At some point after his training he moved to Wethersfield, arriving by 1778 or 1783 at the latest. He sold his own wares as well as other goods, which he marked with his stamp. He his son-in-law, Richard Williams, into partnership in 1794. He might have trained his son Thomas IV as well as Ashbil Griswold, Samuel Kilbourne, William Nott, and Joseph Danforth Jr. Thomas III opened a shop in Philadelphia in 1806 or 1807, sharing space with Blakslee Barnes. It seems that Thomas III traveled back and forth between Philadelphia and Connecticut, but probably stayed in Connecticut after 1811. He might have worked primarily with tin after 1820. Marks are assigned by John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), as follows (p.55-56): -Rampant lion in oval with initials "TI", used by Thomas II and John (of Norwich), probably by Thomas III and Joseph Sr (fig.47) -Rampant lion in circle with initials "TD", used primarily by Thomas II, possibly briefly by Thomas III (fig.48) -Stylized rose in a circle, used by Thomas II and possibly Thomas III (fig.49) -Sets of four hallmarks including the initials "TD" used by both Thomas II and III (fig.50 and 51) -"MIDDLETOWN" in a banderole above a leaf used by Thomas II (fig.52) -"T·D" in rectangle by Thomas II and III (fig.53) -Crowned "X" used by Thomas II, possibly Thomas III (fig.54) -An eagle with downspread wings, facing viewer's left, with shield body, in serrated circle, no inital used by Thomas III (fig.55) -An eagle with downspread wings, facing viewer's right, with shield body, with initials "T.D", all in circle, used by Thomas III (fig.56) -An eagle with downspread wings, facing viewer's right, above initials "TD" in an oval, all within a circle, used by Thomas III (fig.57) -An eagle with downspread wings, facing viewer's left, above initials "TD" in an oval, all within a circle of stars, used by Thomas III (fig.58) -"T.DANFORTH/ PHILAD.\A" in stacked rectangles, used by Thomas III (fig.59) -Rampant lion facing viewer's left within double scrolled oval, with initials "TD", used by Thomas III (fig.63) For more on Thomas Danforth III's marks, see Montgomery, History of American Pewter (1973), p.220; Kauffman, The American Pewterer (1970), p.140; Ebert, Collecting American Pewter (1973), p.128-130; C. Jordan Thorn, Handbook of American Silver and Pewter Marks (1949), p.252; and Carl Jacobs, Guide to American Pewter (1957), p.80-82. See also John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), p.50-145; Laughlin, Pewter in America (1981), vol.1, p.111-112 and vol.3, p.67-70.Sherman Boardman was the nephew of Thomas III, Samuel (of Middletown) and Edward Danforth; brother to Timothy and Thomas Danforth Boardman. Sherman Boardman moved from with his family from Litchfield to Hartford, Connecticut in 1795. Sherman's brother Thomas Danforth Boardman claims to have created a "secret" metal formula in 1806. Sherman began working with Thomas around 1810. The mark with their initials TD & SB belongs to this collaboartion. The business stopped operating in 1854, but it seems to have continued to operate on a smaller scale, for in September of 1871 Thomas offered the "Old Britannia Manufactory" of Boardman & Company for sale. Sherman had died in 1861. The brothers opened a branch in New York City in 1822 run by Timothy, called Timothy Boardman & Co.; the mark "T.B.& Co." was used during this time. Two years later Timothy died and the company name changed to Boardman & Company, and Lucius Hart of Rocky Hill took over the management. In 1827, Lucius became an active partner, and the company name changed to Boardman & Hart, by which it was known its dissolution in 1847. Lucius continued on his own until 1853 or later. The Boardmans opened an additional store in Philadelphia in 1844, called Boardman & Hall, run by Sherman's son Henry S. Boardman and Franklin D. Hall. The business was later known as Hall, Boardman & Company and finally Hall & Boardman. For more on Sherman Boardman's marks, see John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), p.122-123; Laughlin, Pewter in America (1981), vol.1, plate LVII; Montgomery, History of American Pewter (1973), p.216-217; C. Jordan Thorn, Handbook of American Silver and Pewter Marks (1949), p.240; Ebert, Collecting American Pewter (1973), p.140; and Kauffman, The American Pewterer (1970), p.134. See also Thomas, Connecticut Pewter, p.119-143; Laughlin, Pewter in America, vol.1, p.128-130 and vol.3, p.84-86; and J.B. Kerfoot, American Pewter (1942), p.44.
Date of Birth
17567/10/1787
Date of Death
01//18403/20/1861
Place of Origin
Hartford, New Haven, Connecticut, New England, United States, North America
Date
1810-1820
Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label
1. Mark; Underside; "TD" stamped in a rectangle with "TD & SB" overstamped in a rectangle.
Materials
Pewter; Britannia metal
Techniques
Cast
Dimensions (inches)
2.559 (H) , 15.748 (W) , 10.236 (Diam)
Dimensions (centimeters)
6.5 (H) , 40 (W) , 26 (Diam)
Object Description
Text available soon.