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Lunt Silversmiths records

Creation: 1929-2007
 Collection
Accession: 2544

Abstract

Lunt Silversmiths designed and manufactured quality sterling holloware, flatware, silverware, and giftware for 107 years. Filing for bankruptcy in 2009, Lunt ceased manufacturing and sold their brand to Read & Barton the following year. Included are administrative records, designs, patterns, photographs, and three-dimensional objects that include moulds, silhouettes, and unstruck blanks. The numerous drawings and sketches that comprise this collection document the talent of skilled craftsmen who worked for the company throughout the twentieth century.

Dates

  • Creation: 1929-2007

Creator

Extent

7.25 Linear Feet

Historical Note

Lunt Silversmiths began in 1901 as Rogers, Lunt and Bowlen Company. Three Massachusetts businessmen purchased a defunct silversmithing factory and continued a New England tradition of producing quality silverwares. George C. Lunt (1864-) began his career as an engraver with N & T Foster Jewelers. In 1882 he went to work for A. F. Towle and Sons, and studied in Boston with Max Bachman a German born allegorical sculptor. As a result of the economic downturn of 1893 the Towle company struggled and was bankrupt by 1900. Lunt, along with George E. Rogers and William C. Bowlen, bought the Towle factory. Renaming it Rogers, Lunt and Bowlen Company (RL&B), and incorporating in Greenfield, MA. William Caldwell Bowlen (1868-1934) was born in Newberryport, Massachusetts. In 1892 he began working for Anthony Towel, a designer and silver engraver in Greenfield. After the formation of RL&B Bowlen became the company's vice-president and supervisor of manufacturing until his retirement in 1929. He was a skilled etcher and talented artist whose works are prized at auction houses worldwide.

George E. Rogers (1849-1915) began his career with the Langdon Mitre Box Company, a company owned by his father. In 1876 George collaborated with Albert D. Goodell, and was granted a patent to develop a specialized holder for filing postal cards in alphabetic order. A cut-away box with a mouse-trap spring to hold the cards in place. He received his second patent in 1892 for a t-auger handle. Rogers was also a large stockholder in the Towle company helping to raise $10,000 to build a factory for the business. When the assets of A. F. Towle & Son were sold to a group organized by George C. Lunt, Towle's manager of operations, George E. Rogers became a major investor in the formation of the new Rogers, Lunt and Bowlen Company.

Family commitment, and pride in quality work, drove the company to success. Valuing the staff, the Joseph E. Laramie, Jr. award was given annually to the employee of RL&B who had best epitomized the spirit of the company through hard work, and contributed to creating and delivering world-class products, while maintaining a sense of teamwork and mutual respect through the company.

In 1935 Rogers, Lunt and Bowlen Company’s name was changed to Lunt Silversmiths and remained in the Lunt family until 2009 when the name and inventory was sold to a competitor - Reed & Barton. Recognized as a mainstay in the Greenfield Community, their downfall and departure was felt far and wide. In early 2010 Lunt Silversmiths Company filed for bankruptcy protection. All remaining manufacturing and inventory assets at the factory in Greenfield, MA were sold at auction.

Arrangement

Series I: Administrative records, is arranged alphabetically by subject or document type. Series II: Designs, is arranged alphabetically by design type.

Series III: Patterns, is arranged numerically by pattern type and then alphabetically by pattern type.

Series IV: Photographs, is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Series V: Objects, is arranged alphabetically by pattern type.

Scope and Content

The Lunt Silversmiths records consist primarily of drawings and sketches of numerous items meant to be made into silver and or silver-plate. Hundreds of sketches and drawings for silverware patterns, holloware, and specialty items document the progress and growth of Lunt Silversmiths. Client work for Tiffany & Co., Neiman-Marcus, and ideas for Disney are represented. In addition to Lunt's in-house artists, the company hired outside designers, most of whose work is represented in the collection. These include artist Robert E. Locher (1888-1956); architects Richard Meier and Stephen Holl; artist/sculptor Forest Rogers; and jewelry designers Lisa Jenks and Rebecca Nightingale. Tea sets, valet trays, plates, tankard handles, salt and pepper shakers, smoking accessories, flatware, corn cob holders, butterfly boxes, and borders and scrolls are some of the many diverse designs included in the collection. In addition, numerous drawings and sketches represent specific patterns and styles of tableware.

A small series of administrative records contain loose papers found in the collection regarding daily operations, in-house requests, machine parts, and safety. This series also includes company logos, letterhead, and business card designs, as well as promotional literature, booklets, and advertisements. Photographs contain advertising artwork, as well as camera-ready designs that include candlesticks, forks, silverware, key chains, medallions, tea and coffee sets, lockets, and oriental serving pieces. In addition to the sketches and drawings, a series of three-dimensional artifacts give insight into the process of bringing the former to its physical form. Such objects consist of stamped blanks, and moulds and silhouettes for forks, spoons, and knives. Various patterns and styles such as William & Mary, Early Colonial, and Modern Victorian were used to develop the moulds. Silhouettes and unstruck blanks are also included.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Provenance

Gift to Hagley Museum and Library.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Lunt Silversmiths records
Author:
Marsha Mills
Date:
2016
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400