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The
Art Nouveau period (1890-1910) is an era that
overlaps
and is part of the Victorian period. |
The
designs of the Art Nouveau period featured motifs of women with long
flowing hair, angels and cherubs, fairies or sprites,
animals (dragonflies being of particular popularity),
naturalistic foliate designs, flowers and scroll work.
Risqué items and mild erotica were also popular Art Nouveau
motifs. The worlds of naturalism and fantasy were often
combined. The major artists of the period included Alphonse Mucha, Raphael Kirchner, & Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.
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Lovely grouping of five Unger Brothers sterling silver
hollow-ware vanity dressing table pieces; large and small
hair brush, clothing lint brush, button hook, and ink
eraser.
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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This
period was characterized in part by its repoussé,
designs in jewelry and metalwork. Repoussé [ruh poo
SAY]: a technique of raising metal, working from the back
side. All of the pieces featured here are from American
manufacturers and are classified as “Sterling Silver
Hollow-ware.“ Hollow-ware is a generic term for any
tool, decorative piece or vessel produced by raising,
casting, stamping, or spinning and is usually created by two
soldered sterling silver halves.
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About The Maker- Unger Brothers:
Newark, New Jersey:
Many of the wonderful Art Nouveau
designs of Unger Brothers were inspired from the famous art
work of Alphonse Mucha. William Unger was a partner of
Thomas A. Edison from 1870-1872 in the Newark Telegraph
Works. This firm was dissolved that year and the five
brothers William, George, Frederick, Herman and Eugene Unger
organized Unger Brothers for the manufacture and sale of
pocket knives and hardware specialties. They began the
manufacture of sterling silver hollow-ware and jewelry in
1878.
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An early Unger Brothers advertising print that
shows the influence of Alphonse Mucha.
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The Unger Brothers hallmarks.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Signed Unger Brothers
sterling silver Art Nouveau desk top ink eraser with
sterling silver handle.
High
repoussé
floral pattern of a woman with long flowing hair.
The tool measures 6" in length by 1-1/8" in width by
1" in depth. Hallmarked on the edge "Sterling 925
Fine" with double Unger Brothers hallmark. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up of
Unger Brothers signed Art Nouveau
desk top ink eraser.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Unger Brothers signed sterling silver Art Nouveau
clothing lint brush with horse hair bristles and a high
repoussé floral pattern on the handle. The tool measures
5-1/2" total length by 2-5/8" wide by 3/8" depth. Hallmarked
on the edge, "Sterling 925 Fine", with double Unger Brothers
hallmark. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Top of
sterling silver Art
Nouveau clothing lint brush.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Unger Brothers signed Art Nouveau shoe or boot button-hook with sterling silver handle and steel hook. High
repoussé floral pattern of a woman in profile with long
flowing hair. The tool measures 7-3/4" total length by 15/16"
wide by 7/8" depth. Hallmarked on the edge "Sterling 925
Fine" with double Unger Brothers hallmark. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up of button-hook
handle.
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[Courtesy of the Amber
Goldstein collection, Key Largo, FL.]
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Rare Unger Brothers signed sterling silver Art
Nouveau hair brush. High
repoussé detail in the "Love's
Dream" pattern, with an angel or cherub kissing a sleeping
woman. The brush with horse hair bristles, measures 5-3/4"
by
1-3/4" wide by 1-3/4" depth. Hallmarked on the edge "Sterling
925 Fine" with double Unger Brothers hallmark. Slightly
erotic subject matter. [Circa 1900] |
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[Courtesy of the Amber
Goldstein collection, Key Largo, FL.]
Close-up detail of Art Nouveau hair brush.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Rare Unger Brothers signed sterling silver Art
Nouveau large hair brush. The high
repoussé detail is really
fantastic and includes two Sea Goddesses rising from the water
with four Sea Serpents and ten Iris Flowers. The large brush
with horse hair bristles, measures 7" by 2-1/8" wide
by 1-3/4" depth. Engraved or monogrammed ECW in the center.
Hallmarked on the edge "Sterling 925 Fine" with double Unger
Brothers hallmark. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up of Sea Goddesses.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up of Sea Serpents.
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[Courtesy of the Delta Burke collection- Los
Angeles, CA.]
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Rare signed Unger Brothers sterling silver
repoussé
nude erotic cigarette case. Categorized as tobacciana
(or smoking collectibles). The case is for small hand-rolled
cigarettes and measures 3" by 2" by 5/8" with an arched shape
to fit the curve of the body. The interior has its original
gilt finish (yellow gold plated) and two spring loaded
retainer arms. Hallmarked on the edge "Sterling 925 Fine"
with double Unger Brothers hallmark; and monogrammed with three
overlapping initials EPS on the back. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of the Delta Burke collection- Los
Angeles, CA.]
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Interior of cigarette case.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Rare signed Unger Brothers sterling silver
repoussé
sewing thimble holder. Fantastic open pierced work, with a
hinged lid. The thimble holder has a small initialed monogram on top,
"B". Measures
1-1/8" tall by 1" in diameter. Hallmarked on the edge
"Sterling 925 Fine" with double Unger Brothers hallmark.
[Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Sewing thimble holder
open.
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About The Maker- William B. Kerr:
Another popular manufacturer of silver hollow-ware in the
Art Nouveau design was William B. Kerr. William B. Kerr, originally Kerr & Thiery,
was established by William B. Kerr in Newark, New Jersey in
1855. The company was a maker of flat and tableware, sterling silver and gold
dresser ware, and jewelry. William B. Kerr was purchased by the Gorham
Corporation in 1906 and moved to Providence, Rhode Island in
1927.
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[Courtesy of the Amber
Goldstein collection, Key Largo, FL.]
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Outstanding rare signed
William B. Kerr circa 1901 "American Beauty"
series Art Nouveau sterling silver dresser vanity brush set
with extraordinary detail and extremely high
repoussé
design. The
“American Beauty” series featured fantastic Art Nouveau
motif with flowers, classic Gibson Girl style women’s heads
with upswept hair, detailed leaves and scroll work.
The big
over-sized brushes have horse hair bristles; the rectangular
brush measures 7-1/4" by 2-1/2" x 2". The hand brush measures
9-1/2" by 3-1/4"; the handle has a 1-1/4" width. Both pieces are
signed "Sterling" with Kerr hallmark and "1447 Pat'd Dec. 10
'01". The style number #1447 indicates that this is part of
the “American Beauty” series.
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[Courtesy of the Amber
Goldstein collection, Key Largo, FL.]
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Close-up of hand brush.
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The William B. Kerr hallmark.
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[Courtesy of the Amber
Goldstein collection, Key Largo, FL.]
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Another piece by William B. Kerr in the “American
Beauty” series of Art Nouveau
repoussé. This is a
rouge pot with a glass bottom and sterling silver lid. The style
number #1447 indicates that this is part of the “American
Beauty” series. Lid diameter is 3-3/4”. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of the Amber
Goldstein collection, Key Largo, FL.] |
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William B. Kerr hand
mirror in the “American
Beauty” series of Art Nouveau
repoussé; notice the
detail of the poppy flowers. 10” long. The style number
#1447 indicates that this is part of the “American Beauty”
series. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of the Amber
Goldstein collection, Key Largo, FL.]
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Dresser tray by William B. Kerr in the “American
Beauty” series of Art Nouveau
repoussé. 5” across. The
style number #1447 indicates that this is part of the
“American Beauty” series. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Gorham signed Art Nouveau sterling silver wisk broom.
Measures 8-1/8" by 2-3/8" (tapering to 1" at the handle)
by 1"
thick. Lovely finely detailed
repoussé flowers and leaves
with scroll work. [Circa 1900]
About The Maker:
Gorham Corporation- Providence, Rhode Island, was perhaps
one of the most popular and prolific American sterling
silver manufacturers in the silverware and jewelry industry
in 18th century New England.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Close-up of sterling silver handle.
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The Gorham Corporation early hallmark.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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A pair of Art Nouveau sterling silver
repoussé sealing wax
stamps. Wax stamps were used to seal letters and mark legal
documents. The large one measures 3-1/4” the tiny one
measures 1-1/2”. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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A pair of sterling silver Art Nouveau
gentleman’s cigar
cutters. Categorized as tobacciana (or smoking
collectibles). Notice the jump ring at the top. These would
have been hung off the end of a pocket watch chain, and left
to dangle on the outside of the vest or trousers' pocket as
ornamentation. Measures 1-1/2” in length. [Circa 1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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A trio of sterling silver Art Nouveau gentleman’s match
safes, or Vestas. Categorized as tobacciana
(or smoking collectibles). The two on the outsides have
never been cleaned and retain all of their original age
tarnish or blackened patina. The large one measures 2-7/8”
by 1-1/2”, the small ones measure 2-1/2" by 1-3/16".
[Circa
1900]
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Signed Schmitz Moore Co. sterling silver Art Nouveau
manicure nail buffer for vanity or dressing table. Measures
4-1/4" by 1-1/2" x 2-3/8". Marked "Sterling" with maker
hallmark on the side edge. Lovely high
repoussé leaf and
floral pattern, extremely ornate. Has the initial "R"
monogrammed on the top of the handle. A heavy felt-like wool
fabric wraps around the top and is used to buff the nails.
[Circa 1900]
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Top of nail buffer.
Schmitz, Moore & Company hallmark.
About The Maker:
Schmitz, Moore & Company- Newark, NJ. were manufacturers
of sterling silver dresser-ware. Advertisement was listed in
Jewelers Circular in 1915. Succeeded by Moore & Hofman
between 1915-1922.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Art Nouveau nail
or cuticle manicure tool, with sterling silver handle and
steel blade. Measures 5-1/4" by 1" x 5/8". Woman with long
flowing hair is gazing at her reflection in a mirror,
surrounded by flowers. [Circa 1900]
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up
of handle.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Art Nouveau button hook - sterling silver handle with steel
hook. High
repoussé floral pattern of winged fairy or
sprite, with iris flowers. The tool measures 7-1/2" total
length by 15/16" wide by 5/8" depth. [Circa 1900]
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up of the handle.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Victorian sterling silver calling card case, signed
Webster. The case was used to hold calling cards for
business or social engagements. Case has a slightly curved
shape to fit against the body inside your pocket, and hinges
open from the side. Measures 3-3/8" by 2-7/8" by 3/16" thick.
Retains all of its original deeply age tarnished patina.
[Circa 1900]
About The Maker:
Webster Company- North Attelboro, MA. Founded by
George K. Webster in 1869. Webster Co. eventually became a
subsidiary of Reed and Barton in 1950.
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Back of sterling silver calling
card case.
Webster Company hallmark.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Art Nouveau sterling silver shoe horn with
sterling silver handle and steel horn. Measures 7-3/4" by 1"
(handle width), 1-1/4" (shoe horn width). A woman with long
flowing hair is surrounded by flowers. [Circa 1900]
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up of handle.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Early Marshall Fields slightly erotic Art Nouveau
sterling silver hair brush features in
repoussé a highly
detailed water scene with bare breasted risqué nude and
calla lily flowers with cat tails. Brush with horse hair
bristles, measures 7-1/8" by 2" by 1-3/4". Signed "Sterling
MF" on the top. [Circa 1900]
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up of sterling silver hair
brush.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Early
Marshall Fields Art Nouveau sterling silver nail buffer
manicure tool for the dressing table or vanity. Measures
4-1/8" by 1-3/8" by 3/8". The nail buffer features in
repoussé a highly
detailed scene of a woman with long flowing hair surrounded
by flowers. Signed "Sterling MF" on the top. [Circa 1900]
Early Marshall Fields hallmark.
[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
Close-up.
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[Courtesy of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry]
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Art Nouveau sterling silver top with steel pin stem hat
pin with a darling winged angel cherub in
repoussé. Angel
measures 1-1/2" by 3/4"; steel pin stem measures 8". Marked
"Sterling Top" on the back of the angel. “Sterling
Top” marked items indicated a construction using a
sterling silver
repoussé sheeted front on a steel or base
metal back for strength. [Circa 1900]
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For the little kid (or big kid) that has everything! Three
repoussé sterling silver bodied yo-yos, each 2-1/4“ in
diameter.
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Here is a fun test question:
All the yo-yos are in the Art Nouveau style but with three very
different ages, can you tell which one is actually
from the Art Nouveau era?
Left to right:
1.
Alvin Corporation- This yo-yo was made circa 1950-60. It is marked “sterling silver plastic body”. The plastic
body core is the giveaway that this is of a later vintage.
The maker - Alvin Manufacturing Co., Providence, RI. 1886 to
present - produced a full line of flatware and hollow-ware of
noteworthy Art Nouveau designs. The Alvin Manufacturing Company
is currently a division of
Gorham.
[To the right, the Alvin Corporation hallmark.] |
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2.
L.S.M. Company- This yo-yo was made circa 1940-50. It is marked “sterling silver steel body”. The
L.S.M. Company
was most likely riding off the popularity wave of the yo-yos
that had been made a decade or two previously.
[
The L.S.M. Company hallmark.]
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3.
Gorham Corporation- This is the oldest of the three yo-yos,
circa early 1930s, and marked “sterling cover steel body”.
As you can see, the sterling silver yo-yo was so popular
that other silver manufacturers continued to produce it well
into the mid-1900s! The maker - Gorham Corporation, Providence, Rhode Island
- was perhaps
one of the most popular and prolific American sterling
silver manufacturers in the silverware and jewelry industry
in 18th century New England.
[The Gorham Corporation later hallmark.]
Answer: This was
a trick question and the answer might surprise you! None
of these is actually from the Art Nouveau era, but all
are in the Art Nouveau STYLE. This is just an
exercise to show just how popular the motif was with silver
manufacturers, even well after the era came to a close!
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REFERENCES
Recommended Web Sites:
Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Maker's
Marks
Center For Jewelry Studies
Gorham
History
Marshall Fields
Victorian Calling Card
Etiquette
Recommended Books:
American Jewelry Manufacturers by Dorothy T. Rainwater
Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers
by Dorothy T.
Rainwater & Judy Redfield
The
Glitter & The Gold- Fashioning America’s Jewelry by The
Newark Museum
The
Collector’s Timeline by Christie Romero and Barbara Talbott
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carolyn Sunday, of
Sunday and Sunday Fine Antique Jewelry, specializes in
antique jewelry and vintage watches with emphasis on
Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco, and Art Nouveau eras. Their
inventory includes antique cameos, enamels, lavelieres,
mourning and hair jewelry, pocket watch chains, fobs, early
Victorian rings and pendants, Edwardian and Art Deco
filigree, military sweetheart pieces and other vintage
militaria, Tobacciana, including antique cigar cutters and
vintage cigarette cases.
Contact info:
Ed and Carolyn Sunday
www.sundayandsunday.com
P.O. Box 1240
Uniontown, Ohio 44685
330-966-6746 shop (EST)
330-806-2467 cell (EST)
csunday@neo.rr.com
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