Object Number 2023.0003.003

Object Name

Cream pot (Cream or milk pitcher or pot)

Category

Metals

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase with funds provided by the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle.​

Creator (Role)

Gorham Manufacturing Co. (Designer and maker)
The Gorham Manufacturing Corporation had several different names during its history.

Shreve, Treat, and Eacret (Retailer)

Place of Origin

Providence, Rhode Island, New England, North America

Date

1915-1915

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Inscription; Base, in banner; "ANOAKIA" engraved in rustic capital letters

Materials

Silver; Goldplated (electroplated)

Techniques

Wrought, Cast, Electroplating

Dimensions (inches)

4.75 (H) , 4.25 (W) , 3.25 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

12.065 (H) , 10.795 (W) , 8.255 (D)

Measurement Notes

Total weight, set: 112.5 ounces (3503 grams).

Object Description

Web - 07/24/2023

The golden shimmer and soft botanical lines of this set reveal four overlapping flower petals, leafy handles, and earthy textured bases. A yellow poppy, “the cup of gold,” was the state flower for California and the inspiration for this naturalistic design. Hot chocolate in gold-rimmed white porcelain cup liners added a wafting sweet aroma. Each base and the sugar tongs, which have poppy petal grips, bear a banner engraved with the name “ANOAKIA.” No other marks are visible except the Gorham Manufacturing Company’s trademark and a special-order number on the tongs.

Working with patron Anita May Baldwin, the San Francisco jewelry firm Shreve, Treat & Eacret placed the order with Gorham for this gilded silver chocolate set and a similar punch service. Both were engraved for Baldwin’s newly built mansion “Anoakia” in Arcadia, California. Baldwin was a prominent, patriotic Californian with creative talent, immense wealth, and philanthropic generosity. Baldwin supported animal protection efforts throughout her life. In addition to breeding racehorses and livestock on the ranch inherited from her father, the Anoakia kennels competitively showed English bulldogs, Russian wolfhounds, and Airedale terriers.

After the chocolate set arrived, Baldwin announced in the newspapers that she would offer it as a special prize in November 1915 for the prominent dog show at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Shreve, Treat & Eacret displayed it for the public thronging into the city. While not awarded immediately, the offer was extended and described as a prize for the kennel or club with the largest number of dogs “properly conditioned and artistically benched” who also won at four of six regional California competitions. Alas, domestic war time events interfered with the activities for such cumulative wins.

The newspaper announcement attributed the set’s poppy flower design to Anita Baldwin. Intriguingly, Baldwin also designed a poppy stemmed cup intended as trophy for juried dog shows. She received a patent for the design in 1916. It is not yet clear how much of Anita Baldwin’s personal ingenuity is expressed in this Anoakia chocolate set, but her influence over California’s poppy-shaped silver awards is undeniable.

[Sources: San Francisco Call, vol. 98, no. 119, on November 16, 1915; San Jose Mercury Herald, September 28, 1916, page 5.]