Well, it could be that this little container is elder as supposed.
Hello Mali
I haven’t American hollowware catalogues — and it’s a pity, that »
google« select the viewer of their stored books; so I couldn’t see them, because my computers internet signals, also on bypasses, inform their Host: »Not being an American visitor«.
Please look, if you could enter this: http://www.925-1000.com/eBooks_01.html There was also a link to a maybe complete catalogue? Which I couldn’t enter too.
I guess further more, that the function of yours little container could be, as already mentioned, a container for cotton swabs?
Let’s go to make a little excursion to the historic background: Wars of Independence were over; but live style and styling tendencies as like in the United Kingdom has resisted in America. Then there came up a time, well of hard working, but also of a growing prosperity. European emigrants arrived, and assisted in the establishing and grow of industry and economy — which on the other side has also helped them too, to become established.
In
1851 the London Expo was a Grand Start of commercial influences — well in style »
overdone«.
John Gorham travelled then after in
1852 in Europe;
not to see “show ups” only, but facts of production techniques and styles. In between this kind of global presentation of ethnic culture and technique became, from start on, also in America such popularity, that already the
second global show was
1853 held in
New York.
Influenced maybe by John Gorham too? A big obstacle jumped up, the
Secessions War. It became not only necessary to solve this
human problem; but look out, to find in many other areas
solutions for the Nations future.
So in
1863 Gorham started also to make
Electro plated wares; in that time this new application of technique was already out of pampers. After Gorham’s start,
also other American producers have start to trust in this semi-new technique — investments had to be made, and
merger with others were often better then to die commercially.
The beloved symbol of America is the Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephal. But many European emigrants arrived with the
Lion in their minds. This animal
wasn’t unknown before in the States; but then in a growing market, the lion enlarged the
visual language, and became commercial value not only as a stroked mark on cutlery.
Valuated not only by the emigrants; then the lion became the status of being a
novelty for much more applications. Well, that hasn’t happen in one year only; but during the whole styling period of welfare.
And so I guess, the lions have got their place in many American applications, not only on yours container. I think that this is the stage around
1870 or some times later, when on one of these days your little container was “born”.
The styling of the rim which is shown in yours top-view, and that of the lids knob let me guess as already explained, that they are in an American styling language from about
1870-1900.
On the bottom of the little container was room enough to place a punch, as the graphic designer has designed for the
company’s letter head — with the imposing feather bushes, bound together with a long flapping, on the ends incise clipped ribbon, background for a little but impressive shield. »
Here we are; proof our quality«.
Study of old catalogues and letterheads of that time would help to understand these visual languages. Kind regards silverport
