Blue Diamond Label
Henry Bresky & Sons of Bridgeport, Connecticut,
created their blue diamond label reminiscent of the
early days (1890–1920). Then, the exchange merchant
on the trade docks marked Henry Bresky’s incoming
goods with a blue lumber crayon and a diamond.
Henry Bresky & Sons
ca. 1935
Theodore H. Bresky
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Hooked Chair Pad
Like their predecessors, 20th century crafters also
wanted to design a unique label to identify their
handmade works. Olive B. Russell had this personal
label created to mark her hand-hooked rugs,
including this seat cover.
Olive B. Russell
ca. 1930-1950
Jane Emory Kowalski
Fairfield Museum and History Center
2018.21
Haute Couture Velvet Under-dress
This bright pink under-dress in the loose-fitting
Flapper style of the 1920s bears the unique label of
French designer Jeanne Lanvin. The label not only
dates the dress line, but most importantly, it also
illustrates Lanvin’s inspiration—her daughter. Jeanne
Lanvin (1867–1946) opened a millinery shop in
Paris in 1890, and in 1897 the birth of her daughter
Marguerite turned her world upside down. Lanvin’s
little Marguerite became her muse, and for her, Lanvin
designed a luxurious wardrobe of a little girl’s dreams.
The elegant Marguerite was quickly noticed by her
friends’ mothers, who in turn became customers of the
Lanvin fashion house. “By first dazzling her daughter,
little by little, she will dazzle the world,” wrote
contemporary journalist Louise de Vilmorin.
Jeanne Lanvin
1924
Barbara Bartlett
Fairfield Museum and History Center
2018.20.0AB
Silver Flatware
George William Welsh was a silversmith active in
New York City in the mid 19th century. Kate L.
Sherman Turney and Oliver Turney married in 1866,
so perhaps this set of silver was a wedding gift.
George William Welsh
ca. 1851-1872
The Roda Sharps Ritger Estate
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1998.99AT
Musket
This musket, a copy of the British “Brown Bess,” was
said to have been carried in the Revolutionary War
by Joseph Banks of Fairfield. The barrel is iron and
marked “LONDON” but the touch marks indicate
that the gun was made in Belgium. The first mark
is the from the city of Liege, in eastern Belgium, a
leading gun making center of the period. The other
mark is from the Birmingham gunmaker’s Proof
House, est. in 1813. The attribution that this gun
was used during the Revolutionary War is quite
possible, even with hallmarks that date to later years.
Gunowners often replaced and switched out pieces
and parts, due to wear, breakage, or new technological
upgrades in their machinery.
Belgium
ca. 1830
Pequot Library
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1978.58A
Strawberry Knop Latten Spoon
This spoon, made in London of copper and zinc alloy,
uses a triple spoon motif as a touch mark or maker’s
mark. But since the register of makers’ marks was
destroyed, we have no way of associating this mark
with its maker. Spoons knopped (referring to the end
of the handle) with a fruit, like this one, were called
“Strawberry Knops,” and were common between
1450 and 1700.
This spoon was found in an archaeological dig directly
on Fairfield’s Town Green, between the Sun Tavern
and the back of the Fairfield Museum. During the
17th century, the land and housing was owned by
Reverend John Jones and his wife Susanna (1644–
1681), and then by Thomas Bennet (1681–1719).
17th Century
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Sun Tavern Archaeological Collection
Kaolin Pipes
Prior to the mid-19th century, most clay (kaolin) pipes
were produced in family-run workshops. Makers’
marks on these pipes, typically just a set of initials, often
help establish a date and place for their manufacture.
Some marks were part of the mold, while others were
stamped after the pipe came out of the mold—these
tend to be sharper and more clearly defined. This pipe
bears the maker’s mark of Robert Tippet. There were
three generations of Robert Tippets, all from Bristol,
England (17th–18th century). The question is, which
Robert? The second Robert may have started to
impress RT on the back of the bowl, later adding the
medallion on the side, and the third Robert may have
used the medallion without the RT.
Robert Tippet
18th Century
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Sun Tavern Archaeological Collection
Pewter Plate
Samuel Danforth operated his shop in Hartford
from 1795-1816, producing a wide variety of wares,
including dishes, tankards, flagons, baptismal bowls,
and porringers. Danforth’s touch marks feature four
eagles flanked by the initials SD; the D is totally
obscured on all but one touch. The eagle’s head
is in profile and surrounded by stars; he clutches
arrows in each foot and has a shield on his chest, like
the symbol which had recently been adopted as an
emblem of the new United States.
Samuel Danforth
1795-1816
Charles K. Davis
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1973.127.5
Silver Cann
New York silversmith Benjamin Wynkoop produced
this cann which belonged to Jonathan and Jerusha
Sturges of Fairfield. It bears Wynkoop’s mark, the
letters “W K B” within a heart shape, as well as the
initials of the owners on the handle. Silversmithing,
along with many other trades, is a craft passed
down through apprenticeships and family lines.
Professional networks and kinship ties were helpful
to a craftsperson’s business success. Benjamin’s son,
Benjamin Jr., most likely learned the trade from
his father, and he eventually settled as a silversmith
in Fairfield.
Benjamin Wynkoop
ca. 1704-1728
Samuel Sturges Brewster
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1973.123
Skimmer
Sometimes an artist’s creation is reinterpreted or
reused in a very different way. This skimmer is a
sieve-like spoon that is used for skimming cooking
liquids or lifting ripened cream from milk. Compare
this to the face of the Bulkley clock next to it.
Can you see Bulkley’s name and some of the clock
numbers? Why would someone create a kitchen tool
from a beautifully engraved clock face? It’s possible
(although odd) to dismantle an expensive tall case
clock in order to make a kitchen tool. It’s also possible
that this detailed brass dial was a mistake that was
tossed into the scrap pile.
ca. 1800
Mrs. Harold M. Sturges
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1974.118