Porringer

  • Category:

    Metals

  • Creator (Role):

    Samuel Hamlin Sr. (Possible maker)

    Samuel E. Hamlin Jr. (Possible maker)

  • Place of Origin:

    Providence, Rhode Island, New England, United States, North America

  • Date:

    1801-1856

  • Materials:

    Pewter

  • Techniques:

    Cast

  • Museum Object Number:

    1965.1540


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1965.1540

Object Name

Porringer

Category

Metals

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Samuel Hamlin Sr. (Possible maker)
09/09/1746-04/01/1801
Samuel Sr apprenticed with Thomas Danforth II and Jacob Whitmore. In the Connecticut Courant on July 13, 1767 Hamlin advertised the partnership of Hamlin & Henshaw, which had a store in Hartford. The shop probably produced pewter, copper, and brass. The length of their collaboration is not known. A notice in the Connecticut Courant on November 23, 1773 announced the termination of the partnership between Hamlin and Thomas Danforth II, and stated that Hamlin had moved to Providence where he set up another shop as a pewterer, brazier and coppersmith. In 1774 he took on his brother-in-law Gershom Jones as a partner, a collaboration that lasted until 1781. In 1782, Joseph Danforth, son of Thomas Danforth II, went to Providence to retrieve his father's molds that Hamlin had been using; this suggests that Hamlin was working for Danforth (Thomas, p.149-151). For more on Samuel Hamlin Sr's marks, see Carl Jacobs, Guide to American Pewter (1957), p.104-105; C. Jordan Thorn, Handbook of American Silver and Pewter Marks (1949), p.259; Ebert, Collecting American Pewter (1973), p.133; and Montgomery, History of American Pewter (1973), p.222. See also John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), p.149-151; J.B. Kerfoot, American Pewter (1942), p.118-120; and Laughlin, Pewter in America (1981), vol.1, p.86-87, 95-97.

Samuel E. Hamlin Jr. (Possible maker)
1774-04/14/1864
Samuel Ely Hamlin worked in his father Samuel Hamlin Sr's shop until the elder's death, and the son probably used his father's marks except a rose mark (Montgomery, History of American Pewter, p.222 and Laughlin, Pewter in America, vol.1, p.96). In 1811 Hamlin advertised that he now offered britannia wares in addition to pewter. After 1841, he was listed only as a maker of britannia. For ten years (1828-1838), the pewterer James M. Warner was listed at the same address as Hamlin Jr, suggesting that Warner was employed by Hamlin. For more on Samuel Hamlin Jr's marks, see C. Jordan Thorn, Handbook of American Silver and Pewter Marks (1949), p.259; Ebert, Collecting American Pewter (1973), p.133; Carl Jacobs, Guide to American Pewter (1957), p.106; and Montgomery, History of American Pewter (1973), p.222. See also Laughlin, Pewter in America, vol.1, p.96-97 and vol.3, p.104 and Kauffman, The American Pewterer, p. 13, which reproduces an advertisement for S. E. Hamlin in the Providence, (RI) Gazetter from 1809.

Place of Origin

Providence, Rhode Island, New England, United States, North America

Date

1801-1856

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Mark; Handle, topside center; "HAMLIN" with an eagle and stars, all within a circle, stamped
2. Inscription; Handle, underside center; "+", incised

Materials

Pewter

Techniques

Cast

Dimensions (inches)

1.425 (H) , 6.125 (W) , 4.185 (Diam)

Dimensions (centimeters)

3.62 (H) , 15.558 (W) , 10.63 (Diam)

Measurement Notes

The diameter is of the bowl rim.

Object Description

Text available soon.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Montgomery, Charles F. 1973 A History of American Pewter.
Published: fig. 9-1, pp.146-147