Given by Elkington & Co. Ltd

Gift from Elkington & Co. Ltd
Pearshaped teapot with button finial on lid. Rope twist border on lip of pot. Engraved floral cartouche each side of body with faint contemporary crests within.
This teapot was made by Elkington and Co. when they had commenced mass production of electroplate. Plating after construction allowed a durable hard solder of nickel and silver to be used on joints as the plating concealed but did not melt them. Electroplate requires pure silver for its outer skin which produces a high 'finish' but is slightly whiter than sterling silver and tarnishes faster. This encourages frequent polishing, endangering the plating.
Electroplating suited large-scale manufacturers. The Rogers Brothers of Hartford, Connecticut imported nickel-silver cutlery from England, which they electroplated and advertised as having 'all the good qualities of solid silver'. Some smaller manufacturers cut costs when refurbishing their factories, making the new methods hazardous in poorly ventilated spaces. In 1858, The Application of Art to Manufacturers related workers' complaints of lethargy, headaches, rushes of blood, ulcers formed where their skin touched the silver solution, blindness and 'momentary feelings as of the earth lifting up.'

M.236-1984