Metals
Samuel Danforth (of Norwich) (Maker)
Norwich, New London, Connecticut, New England, United States, North America
1793-1803
Pewter
Cast
1956.0059.002
Object Number1956.0059.002 |
Dish
Metals
Gift of Joseph France
Samuel Danforth (of Norwich) (Maker)
1772-08/05/1827
Samuel Danforth (of Norwich) is the son of John, grandson of Thomas I; nephew of Thomas II; cousin to Thomas III, Joseph Sr, Edward, Jonathan (of Middletown) and Samuel (of Middletown); second-cousin 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.)
Samuel probably trained under his father John from about 1786 to 1793. Samuel took over the business in 1793 and sold out in 1803 after a lackluster tenure. He may have worked his way south as a journeyman, for he was in Augusta, Georgia by 1818. He died nine years later in Ohio. Laughlin states that Samuel Danforth's work is rare because he drank heavily.
For more on Samuel Danforth's marks, see John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), p.82; Montgomery, History of American Pewter (1973), p.219; Ebert, Collecting American Pewter (1973), p.128-130; Kauffman, The American Pewterer (1970), p.139; C. Jordan Thorn, Handbook of American Silver and Pewter Marks (1949), p.249; and Carl Jacobs, Guide to American Pewter (1957), p.70-72. See also Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers, p.50-145; Laughlin, Pewter in America (1981), vol.1, p.118-119.
Norwich, New London, Connecticut, New England, United States, North America
1793-1803
1. Mark; Underside, center; "NORWICH" in an arc above a leaf, stamped twice
2. Mark; Underside, center; "[ ]AM, DANFORTH" in a serrated rectangle, stamped
3. Inscription; Underside, near edge; "EF", sprigged, engraved
Pewter
Cast
0.75 (H) , 12.25 (Diam)
1.905 (H) , 31.115 (Diam)
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