Is J. E.Caldwell & Co Maker or just retailer?

[jedgardner]

Three piece aesthetic movement sterling silver teaset. It is marked J.E. Caldwell & Company but there is also an oval symbol of flying bird surrounded by a laurel wreath with a capital D on top. I wondered if this represented the maker while Caldwell was the retailer.

[silvercrown]

J.E. Caldwell & Co. was a very high end retailer located in Philadelphia. They were on a par with Bailey, Banks and Biddle. Clientele was very upscale and very Mainline.

Silvercrown

[dragonflywink]

Lovely set! It was made by William. B. Durgin of Concord, NH. They were founded in 1853, acquired by Gorham in 1906 or'07, moved to Providence, RI in 1931, not sure how long they operated as a subsidiary of Gorham. Believe that it's a fairly early Durgin mark, I've only run across it on a few mid to late Victorian pieces.

Cheryl ;o)