Gorham Manufacturing Company
Flask

Public Domain

ExpandFavorite

Images(2)

MakerMade by Gorham Manufacturing CompanyProvidence, Rhode Island, founded 1831

CultureAmerican

Titles

Flask

Date1888

PlaceProvidence, Rhode Island, United States

MediumSilver

Dimensions7 1/8 × 1 9/16 × 5 3/16 in. (18.1 × 4 × 13.2 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Dr. and Mrs. John R. Kelsey, Jr.

Object number83.45

Current Location

The Audrey Jones Beck Building

108 Hevrdejs Gallery

On view

Explore Further

Department

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Object Type

METALWORK

DescriptionAfter the Civil War, Alexander Robey Shepherd became governor of the District of Columbia. He enacted public-works projects that breathed new life into the war-weary city but that also incurred large deficits, forcing him out of office and eventually out of the country. Shepherd moved his family to Batopilas, Chihuahua, Mexico, where he purchased a silver mine. Soon wealthy beyond his dreams, Shepherd returned to D.C. and commissioned the Gorham Silver Company to create 15 sterling-silver flasks (using Batopilas silver) as promotional gifts for various Mexican and American officials. With its saguaro cactus decoration and scenes of an idyllic adobe village, this unusual flask served as a form of advertising for the Mexican silver market.

Provenance[Sotheby & Co., London]; purchased by MFAH, 1983.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.