Description

Gilded Age (1870-1890)

From our Writing Box collection, we are delighted to offer this Antique American Stationery Box by Black Starr & Frost. The Stationary Box of large size finished in a mauve leather stood upon a plinth base. The front of the stationery box is decorated with an intricate large Sterling Silver decoration in the Rococo style with scrolling foliage motifs with birds and multiple cherubs surrounding a central engraved initial plaque. The lower third of the Silver has a central flower shaped escutcheon and is stamped Black Starr & Frost (used 1874-1908) to the left and Sterling 1754 with an eagle hallmark to the right hand side. When opened, the Stationery box reveals a fully lined and partitioned stationery box in red water silk paper with some remaining contents including stamps and a small letter dated 1937 from washington DC. The Stationery Box dates to the late of the 19th century Gilded Age in the USA circa 1890. This box was originally owned by Margaret Lynde Dent-Campbell niece of the 18th president of the United States Ulysses S. Grant thence by descent where we purchased it directly from its current owner.

Literature Mark Goodger 25th Anniversary Catalogue p.48

Provenance Margaret Lynde Dent-Campbell (known as Margaret/Madge/Maggie to family) (1854–1921), thence by descent. Margaret Dent was the daughter of Brigadier General (originally appointed by Abraham Lincoln) Frederick Tracy Dent (1820-1892) and Helen Louise Lynde (1836–1922); Julia Boggs Dent, Margaret’s aunt, was married to Ulysses S. Grant, the two having been introduced when Grant and her brother were roommates at West Point. A career officer, Frederick Tracy Dent served with distinction in the southern campaign during the Mexican-American war and then saw 16 years of frontier duty and was active in the Yakima War of 1855-1858. During the Civil War Dent was aide-de-camp to his brother-in-law, General Grant, and later served as a military secretary (1869-1873) to Ulysses S. Grant during his presidency. Margaret Lynde Dent-Campbell was therefore President Grants niece by marriage. The Frost Starr & Black Stationery Box and the George Betjemann & Tiffany Writing Box were both owned by Margaret Lynde Dent-Campbell with the latter engraved Maggie L Dent. An ebony and gold mounted walking stick bearing the same monogram measuring 94cm long is also available for sale, please enquire for further details. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) was the 18th president of the United States, who served from 1869 to 1877.

Black Starr & Frost were originally founded as Marquand and Co. by Connecticut silversmith Isaac Marquand circa late 18th century at 166 Broadway, New York. The company grew significantly in the early 19th century and was continued in 1824 by Isaac’s son Frederick after he returned from a failed silver business he set up in Savannah, Georgia with his cousin, Josiah Penfield. The company became known as the most prominent Jewellers in New York City during the Gilded Age. Initially Marquand and Co. created a large selection of silver products from full tea services to large silver ewers and smaller pairs of useable table accessories. The turned to becoming primarily retailers in high end silver outsourcing the manufacture process to other silversmiths. In 1838 after servicing as President of Marquand and Co. Frederick sold the company to former apprentices William Black and Henry Ball. The new owners changed the name to Black, Ball, and Co. In 1839 the company was sold again to incorporate Henry Ball, Erasmus Tompkins and William Black and was renamed Ball, Tompkins & Black for 12 years until 1851 when it became Ball, Black & Company. Ball, Black & Company opened a new retail store at the intersection of Brodway and Price Street in New York City 9 years late in 1860. The company acquired the name Black, Starr & Frost when it introduced new partners Cortland Starr and Aaron Frost in 1876 and then merged with Gorham Manufacturing Company in 1929 becoming Black, Starr & Frost – Gorham. The new partnership flourished and they opened a newly remodelled building at Fifth Avenue  and 48th street on October 30th 1929. The name was eventually styled as Black Starr Frost Gorham but later reverted to Black, Starr & Frost in 1960.

American Eagle Hallmark was used by Black Starr & Frost to certify their products. They were the first firm to use the American Eagle as its logo in the USA and clients knew the firm was “at the sign of the golden eagle.”

Gilded Age is a the period in the United States of America from circa 1870s to the late 1890s. It occurred between the Reconstruction Era and the Progressive Era and was named after an 1873 Mark Twain novel by historians in the 1920s who saw this interval of economic expansion as an era of materialistic excesses combined with political corruption. The Gilded era was a time of rapid economic growth particularly in the Northern and Western United States. As American wages grew much higher than those in Europe, especially for skilled workers, and industrialization demanded an increasing unskilled labor force, the period saw an influx of millions of European immigrants. The rapid expansion of industrialization led to real wage growth of 40% from 1860 to 1890 and spread across the increasing labor force. Although there was great expansion in some parts of the country it was also an age of poverty especially in the South. It saw huge divide and growing inequality as millions of immigrants poured into the United States with the rich and poor divide growing substantially.

Every purchase made from Mark Goodger Antiques is accompanied by a comprehensive suite of documents to ensure your satisfaction and peace of mind. This includes our latest catalogue, a Certificate of Authenticity, detailed care instructions for your chosen item, and an independent invoice for insurance purposes. Additionally, your purchase is protected by our no-hassle, money-back policy, and your item will be fully insured during the shipping process to safeguard against damage or loss.

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