Elizur G. Webster

Elizur G. Webster
Born1829
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedOctober 9, 1900
Warwick, New York, U.S.
Resting placeGreen-Wood Cemetery
OccupationSilversmith
Known forfounder of E. G. Webster & Son
Children4 sons

Elizur G. Webster (1829 - October 9, 1900) was an American silversmith and the founder of E. G. Webster & Son, a manufacturer of silverware.

Life

Webster was born in 1829 in Hartford, Connecticut.[1][2]

Webster opened a store at Atlantic and Fifth Avenues in Brooklyn in 1859.[1] The firm became known as E. G. Webster & Son in 1873,[2] and more stores were opened in Manhattan, Chicago and San Francisco.[1] His brother, A. A. Webster, was actively involved in the firm until 1886.[2] Webster designed silver holloware,[2] including trays,[3] mirror frames,[4] bowls,[5][6] and tea or coffee services.[7]

With his wife and four sons (Frederic, George, Hawley and William), Webster resided at Greene and Clinton Avenues in Brooklyn, New York, and he had a second home in Warwick, New York.[1] He died on October 9, 1900, in Warwick, and he was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.[1] He was worth an estimated $107,000 at the time of his death.[8] The firm was acquired by the International Silver Company in 1928.[2] Webster's son Frederic worked for the firm, and he died in 1941.[9] It was acquired by Oneida Limited in 1981.[9]

A catalogue of E. G. Webster & Son silverware is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[10] Silverware designed by E. G. and Son can be seen at the Brooklyn Museum,[6] the Art Institute of Chicago,[7] the Birmingham Museum of Art,[11] and the National Museum of American History.[5][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Elizur G. Webster". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 10, 1900. p. 8. Retrieved June 10, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e "E. G. Webster & Son". Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "E.G. Webster & Son: 19th Century "H" Monogram Silver Plate On Copper Scalloped Gallery Tray". Sotheby's Home. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  4. ^ "A Louis XIV style silver plated dressing mirror E.G. Webster & Sons, Brooklyn, N.Y." Bonhams. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Sugar Bowl". National Museum of American History. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Sugar Bowl for Tea Service". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "E. G. Webster and Son". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "Will of Elizur G. Webster. An Estate of $107,000 To Go To Widow and Children". New-York Tribune. October 14, 1900. p. 26. Retrieved June 10, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b Rainwater, Dorothy T.; Redfield, Judy (1998). Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. p. 361. ISBN 9780764306020. OCLC 891654153.
  10. ^ "[Scrapbook of catalogue illustrations of Silverware],19th–20th century E. G. Webster & Son American". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "ARTIST: E. G. WEBSTER & SON, UNITED STATES, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, OPERATED 1886 - 1960: Oval Meat Dish". Birmingham Museum of Art. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  12. ^ (December 21, 2016). E. G. Webster & Son / E. G. Webster & Bro. / Webster Mfg Co, Brooklyn - designs, exhibitions, catalogues and historical information. artdesigncafe.com. Retrieved October 7, 2019.