Mulholland Brothers and The Silversmiths Guild of Evanston

[dognose]

An advertisement from 'The Silversmiths Guild of Evanston', published in 1915.



It's one of those ads that raise, to me, more questions than answers.

Who were The Silversmiths Guild of Evanston?

Rainwater has it that Mulholland Brothers were the successors to the Aurora Silver Plate Company sometime between 1915 and 1922, but this advert, probably from the early part of 1915, appears to show Mulholland Brothers as very firmly established by that date.

The statement "Mulholland Brothers, makers of the famous EASTERLING Hand Wrought Silverware" is one that provokes more examination. Mulholland Brothers went out business in 1932, but just down the road, The Easterling Company of Chicago was formed in 1944. Was there a connection between these two Illinois companies?

Can anyone supply some information?

Trev.
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[silverly]

In 1942 David and Walter Mulholland who were formerly silversmiths in Evanston, Illinois were living in Reading, Pennsylvania and working at the Birdsboro Steel Foundry & Machine Company. Walter was a machinist and David was possibly the same.
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[dognose]

Hi Pat,

Having read some old posts of Pat's (2209patrick), Mulholland Brothers started around 1912.

Sad to think that this pair, who once had such a fine reputation as silversmiths, ended up in the later years of their life cutting steel.

viewtopic.php?t=5234

viewtopic.php?t=17005

Regards Trev.
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[silverly]

Trev,

My post did make their life after silversmithing seem less glamorous; actually, I think they were talented gentlemen, both mechanically and engineering wise. Walter is listed as a civil engineer in the 1930 Census for Norwich, New York. Between the pair they had a few patents. Here's a link to one of them. http://www.google.com/patents?id=VPE-AA ... &q&f=false

There is a Lyman F Mulholland who was a silversmith boarding at the same place David was in 1920. I'm guessing that he may have been a cousin and trying to learn the trade. He was only eighteen at the time.

I try to limit my speculation to a large extent, so I won't go any further with this subject without more facts, but it is safe to say that David E and Walter S were the Evanston, Illinois Mulholland Bros.

Regards,

Pat
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[dognose]

Hi Pat,

Thanks for the information and the link.

Regards Trev.
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[admin]

Here's the probable reason that Mulholland Bros. named a line "Easterling" and a later firm would take the term as there tradename.

etymology of the word STERLING

The earliest attestation of the term is in Old French form esterlin, in a charter of the abbey of Préaux, dating to either 1085 or 1104. The english chronicler Orderic Vitalis (1075 - c. 1142) uses the Latin forms libræ sterilensium and libræ sterilensis monetæ. The word in origin refers to the newly introduced Norman silver penny.

The most plausible etymology is derivation from a late Old English *steorling "[coin] with a star", as some early Norman pennies were imprinted with a small star.

There are a number of obsolete hypotheses. One suggests a connection with starling, and another supposed connection with easterling, a term for natives of the Baltic or the Hanse towns of eastern Germany. This etymology is itself medieval, suggested by Walter de Pinchebek (ca. 1300) with the explanation that the coin was originally made by moneyers from that region (Oxford English Dictionary).

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[dognose]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for that, I had not come across the French version before, I had always gone along with the German moneyers idea, but this sounds more likely.

As far as Mullholland is concerned I suspect the origins may be much simpler, maybe something like E (Evanston?) A (Aurora?) STERLING.

Well maybe!

Regards Trev.
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[MCB]

The advertisement itself appeals save for the fact that the course was held circa 1915, sadly too long ago for us.
Even today hands-on tuition by an expert in damage correction is just the thing a collector of silverware is looking for.

Mike
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[2209patrick]

Hi everyone.

Very interesting advertisement you have there Trev.
First time I have seen a link between the Mullholland Brothers and Easterling.

Can't offer any additional information.
Will check around and get back tp you if I find anything.
I only live a couple of hours drive from these cities.

Here's some information from another site. Can't vouch for it's accuracy.

"Mulholland Brothers, Park Ridge, IL 1912-1915; Evanston, IL 1916-1919; Aurora, IL 1919-1934
Founded by Walter and David Mulholland who both left the business in 1924."

Pat.
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[2209patrick]

I contacted the Evanston Public Library and reference librarian Jennie Berkson provided the following information.

From _Evanston: A Pictorial History_ by Barbara Buchbinder-Green p. 145

"In 1916, Evanston became the home of the silversmith shop of the Mulholland
Brother. Walter and David Edward Mulholland opened a ship at 1020-1024 Church Street,
and through the Silversmiths Guild of Evanston, offered courses in silversmithing,
jewelry, and enameling. In 1917 they won the Municipal Art League Prize for a bronze and
silver cross they designed for St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Their handwrought
"Easterling" silver was sold through the Cellini Shop. After World War I, the
Mulhollands bought the Aurora Silver Plate Company and continued to produce handwrought
and hammered flatware and hollowware in Aurora. In 1924 they sold the company and moved
to California."
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[dognose]

Hi Pat,

Many thanks for supplying this extra information.

The 1916 confirmation of a start date for Mulhollands in Evanston certainly blows my theory of the origins of their Easterling trade name out of the water!

Do you have any more details on the Silversmiths Guild of Evanston?

Regards Trev.
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[2209patrick]

Hi Trev.

That's all I have on the Silversmiths Guild of Evanston.
Here's some information on Cellini.
http://www.chicagosilver.com/Cellini.htm

Pat.
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[dognose]

Hi Pat,

Thanks for that, Evanston had some talented persons working there during that period.

Regards Trev.
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[silverly]

Hi Trev.

That's all I have on the Silversmiths Guild of Evanston.
Here's some information on Cellini.
http://www.chicagosilver.com/Cellini.htm

Pat.
.

A comment on the article quoted above. I wander if material the Cellini Craft line of modestly-priced handwrought aluminum objects was made of was not actually the aluminum-silver alloy argental that was evolved by William A McAdams of Bayshore, New York around 1912.

There are a fair number of products that have the name argental associated with them currently being offered online. Who knows they may have a little silver in them.

[silverly]

April 29, 1914 The Iowa Recorder, Greene, Iowa: