Elkington & Co.

Elkington & Co. was a silver manufacturer from Birmingham, England.

Elkington & Co., design for a tea and coffee set (1860)
Photograph of a silver bowl on a stand. No dimensions are indicated. The bowl has extravagant decorations on its exterior and on the stand. There are two handles in the form of mermaids.
Electrotype copy of the Jerningham wine cooler done by Elkington & Co. in 1884. The original is in The Hermitage in St. Petersburg; the electrotype is in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London

History
Elkington Beverage Service. Circa 1870

It was founded by George Richards Elkington and his cousin, Henry Elkington, in the 1830s. It operated under the name G. R. Elkington & Co. until 1842, when a third partner, Josiah Mason, joined the firm. It operated as Elkington, Mason, & Co. until 1861, when the partnership with Mason was terminated. The firm operated independently as Elkington & Co. from 1861 until 1963. It was then taken over by British Silverware, Ltd.. In 1971 British Silverware, Ltd. became a subsidiary of Delta Metal Co. Ltd.[1]

Over the course of history it became very successful and was one of the prime producers of silver plating. Elkington received various royal warrants of appointments, and also an Imperial and Royal Warrant of Appointment from the emperor of Austria. One of their most famous pieces is the electrotype copy of the Jerningham Wine Cooler, at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

References
  1. Lomas, Elizabeth (2001). Guide to the Archive of Art and Design, Victoria & Albert Museum. Taylor and Francis. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-57958-315-6.

Further reading


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