Dinner Fork

George Washington Maher|Gorham Manufacturing Company

1912 · Silver · The American Wing

Dinner Fork — George Washington Maher|Gorham Manufacturing Company

In the 1890s the Gorham Manufacturing Company introduced a line of handmade silver with a hammered finish, which was marketed under the name Martelé. Unique among the firm's efforts in Martelé is this flatware service (1987.242.1-12), created by the Prairie School architect George W. Maher (1864–1926) for Rockledge, the summer residence he designed in 1912 for Ernest and Grace King near Winona, Minnesota. A single place setting consists of twelve pieces, each chased with the Kings' monogram, which is intertwined with lily blossoms. Lilies, which grew locally in wild profusion, also ornament other furnishings and architectural elements at Rockledge, as does Maher's trademark flattened arch, which here defines the terminal of each handle.

Artist
George Washington Maher|Gorham Manufacturing Company
Date
1912
Medium
Silver
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Credit line
Friends of the American Wing Fund, 1987

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