Porter Blanchard

[admin]

Allan Adler, the late California modernist silversmith, is quoted as stating that, beginning in 1938, he'd learned to work silver from his father-in-law, the Arts & Crafts silversmith Porter Blanchard. I'd always suspected this apprenticeship was Blanchard's way of looking out for his daughter Becca's future. However, I've just come across this advertisement from a 1934 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine which shows that Blanchard actively sought out student enrollment.

[dognose]

Hi Tom,

Wasn't there two son-in-law apprentices? The other being Lewis Wise.

Trev.
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[admin]

Hi Trev,
Thanks, only knew of Wise in the vaguest sense as a California smith. Here is Blanchard's wikipedia entry in which Wise features:

Porter Blanchard (1886 — 1973) was a famous silversmith living and working in Pacoima, California in the United States. He is considered to be part of the Arts and Crafts Movement. His daughter, Alice, married Lewis Wise who conducted business as Porter Blanchard Silversmiths (Calabasas, California). After 1955, all of Porter Blanchard flatware was made at the Calabasas shop, while the holloware was made at his Pacoima home. Many of his papers including photographs of his shop are collected in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution. His daughter, Becca, married Allan Adler, born 1916 of Los Angeles, who continued designing as a silversmith in that tradition.

Apparently Wise also worked independently, I found a couple of pieces by him on the net, his mark is his full name in incuse block letters.
Regards, Tom
.

[dognose]

Link to website of Randy Stromsoe, Porter Blanchard's last apprentice:

http://stromsoestudios.com/home.cfm

Trev.
.