Watson Company of Minnesota

[fatso]

http://www.sendpix.com/albums/08022402/siy4gklbrw/

The above handsome american silver has joined my collection yesterday.
I believe the HM to be that of Watson Co of Minnesota. Is there a way of telling what year this pretty and almost new like looking set has been manufactured in? Also, the cipher BEU, on all the pieces does puzzle me.
Is it to be construed as private as belonging, say, to Beu Sisters or a sign of a designer? We in London prize highly the age of silverware, the older the better and the name of the silversmith/designer carries a lot of weight, also.

many thanks in advance for any help.
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[dragonflywink]

Watson was based in Attleboro, Massachusetts, that mark was used 1905-29, the BEU is a monogram, most likely the larger E would indicate the last name.

~Cheryl
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[fatso]

Cheryl, many thanks for your information.
The tea set has classical urn shaped lines, much appealing to my sense of proportion and it's a pity one cannot attach the name of particular silversmith to this american objet d'art.
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[2209patrick]

Sorry to change the subject, but my curiosity is getting the best of me.

In your first picture of of the Watson set there is a silver plate in the background.
Is that the Winston Churchill commemorative plate (1974) by John Pinches of London ?

Pat.
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[fatso]

yes, it is the Old Winston and he would expect to be served his
rum laced tea from such a wondrous colonial silver set as his Mum
was american, after all.
NB I have acquired 3 specimens of the above.
Apparently, according to recently conducted study, the populus in this country does believe, at least 30 % of them do, that Winston Churchil was a fictitious person and Sherlock Holmes the real one!
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[dragonflywink]

Watson is one of my favorites, being a spoon collector, many of their patterns and souvenir spoon designs are quite lovely. Probably the best known designer would be Joseph E. Straker, Jr. (1865-1955), trained as a silversmith at Gorham, also connected with Chas M. Robbins, he was superintendent and later vice-president of Watson & Newell/Watson Co. Believe Silver Magazine did an article on Watson a few years ago, but I haven't read it.

~Cheryl
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[2209patrick]

Thanks for the confirmation.
Have always been a fan of Winston Churchill.

Pat.
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[fatso]

Well, Cheryl, whoever it was who has designed my tea set, he takes some beating. I have 26 tea sets and various individual teapots, all silver. Some opulent ones in this restrained british way, one outrageously rich and overdone in flashy mexican show off habit.
But when I look at this Watson set, its perfect proportions, its sparsity of show off, grace of pure classical lines, well it just brings tears to my eyes.
Pure genius. Thank you, America, for letting it slip off your fingers for my delectation in Europe.
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[dragonflywink]

It is a lovely, elegant set, late 19th-early 20 century American designs were my first love in silver, glad it's found an appreciative home in the U.K. Enjoy!

~Cheryl
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[kerangoumar]

The set's lovely neoclassical proportions call to mind ROBERT ADAM (1728-1792), whose architectural designs had a profound influence on the decorative arts. If my camera were working I would post a picture of an Adam mustard pot - the planes of which, admittedly, are more decorative (having elongated scrollwork). If you are able to get hold of the Burlington magazine (through Interlibrary Loan, for example) it will tell you more about Adam, whose light was dimmed just a tiny bit by the current vogue for all things excessively Victorian.


Adam Silver Reassessed
Michael Snodin
The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 139, No. 1126 (Jan., 1997), pp. 17-25
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[fatso]

Thank you, Michael
You, Americans, might be a bit jaded and used to seeing this shape around. After all, Watson Co of Mass. did produce in bulk its designs, witness the number in thousands at the bottom. However that makes the set not in the least less desireable. I wax lyrical, humble collector that I am, brought on the different shapes of teapot. This objet d'art I do hail as an example of immortal beauty. It may be after great Robert Adam. It definitely is after great ancient Greeks and Romans. What do I care if there is ten thousand
other tea drinkers who look at it this very moment? let them enjoy it as I do- but I would not dream to use it. It has taken pride place in my collection to be worshipped but not touched.
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[kerangoumar]

The pattern name is John Alden and it dates from 1911.
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[kozy845]

While I am no expert, the above mentioned set does not look like any of the photos of John Alden tea sets that I have seen. The John Alden holloware that I've seen has a general narrow oval shape, (like the Plymouth Gorham pattern) and perfectly imitates the shape of it's matching flatware.The set presented in this thread seems to have an octogonal shape, rounder than oval.

But it's always possible that John Alden has more than one style tea set.
Just an observation.
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[fatso]

Hi, I can confirm that my beauty is octagonal and does appear to look "narrow" when looked from the above. So John Alden it is, I hope.

One invited english admirer made this pertinent remark: he finds this pattern surprisingly modern, ahead of its time. Why so? Because, he says, our habits as far as tea drinking is concerned, have changed. We do no longer load our tea with cream and the large, ponderous design of the sugar bowl is no longer relevant as rarely anybody would bother to sweeten his nectar at all.
So, perhaps this genius, John Alden, should be put forward for American Designer of the Century Award?

Below is the reference to it on Bucketshop so it may last longer then 30 days
on german ACDC site.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj51 ... ilverB.jpg
(admin photo edit - images too large - link only - see Posting Requirements )
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[kozy845]

No matter what the set is called the tea ought to be very tasty in it. Enjoy it to the last drop.

I am including photos of what is meant to be the John Alden pattern and you can compare for yourself and decide if your tea set is indeed John Alden.




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[fatso]

Thank you so much, kozy845
The sweet cut to the spout of teapot looks John Alden to me.
On the other hand, I see that the cupola from the sugar bowl
in my set does seem to have remained on your side of the Pond.
Otherwise there is a lot of similarities albeit mine is a more severe
one, more classical in feel.
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