Mug (Miniature mug)
Museum Object Number1965.1466 |
Object Name
Mug (Miniature mug)
Category
Metals
Credit Line/Donor
Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont
Creator (Role)
Thomas Danforth Boardman (Maker)
Creator Notes
Thomas Danforth Boardman was the nephew of Thomas III, Samuel (of Middletown) and Edward Danforth; brother to Sherman and Timothy Boardman. Thomas Danforth Boardman moved from with his family from Litchfield to Hartford, Connecticut in 1795. He trained with Edward Danforth of Hartford, beginning in 1796. After 1799, Thomas worked with Samuel Danforth until 1804, when he, Thomas, went into business on his own. Thomas claims to have created a "secret" metal formula in 1806. His brother Sherman began working with Thomas around 1810; the mark with their initials TD & SD belongs to this collaboartion. It appears that Thomas purchased his uncle Samuel's molds in 1816. The business stopped operating as it was 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. 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 Thomas Danforth Boardman's marks, see John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), p.122-123, figs.124 and 125; Ebert, Collecting American Pewter (1973), p.124-125; Kauffman, The American Pewterer (1970), p.134; Carl Jacobs, Guide to American Pewter (1957), p.38-42; C. Jordan Thorn, Handbook of American Silver and Pewter Marks (1949), p.240; and Montgomery, History of American Pewter (1973), p.216-217. See also Laughlin, Pewter in America (1981), vol.1, p.128-130 and plate LVII, and vol.3, p.84-87; Thomas, Connecticut Pewter, p.119-143; and J.B. Kerfoot, American Pewter (1942) p.127-130.
Date of Birth
01/21/1784
Date of Death
09/10/1873
Place of Origin
Hartford, Connecticut, United States, North America
Date
1815-1840
Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label
1. Mark; Inside bottom; "T.D.B." in rectangle, stamped
Materials
Pewter; Britannia metal
Techniques
Cast
Dimensions (inches)
2.252 (H) , 2.5 (W) , 1.969 (Diam)
Dimensions (centimeters)
5.72 (H) , 6.35 (W) , 5 (Diam)
Object Description
Text available soon.
Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes
[Book] Montgomery, Charles F. 1973 A History of American Pewter.
• Published: fig. 6-7, p. 108-109