THE FROST WORKSHOP:
Started by George Frost sometime around 1908 in Dayton, Ohio. Much of their work is acid etched jewelry & desk items, sometimes set with stones in the manner of Forest Craft Guild. Their work is typically marked with a TRIANGLE with the letters F-R-O-S-T cascading down inside.
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Cuff Link & Stick Pin set.
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ALBERT BERRY:
Albert Berry was a coppersmith who worked in Alaska and who later moved to Seattle to open Berry's Craft Shop. The early period pieces are marked with an AA and a hammer which stood for ALASKAN ARTISANS. The most desirable items contain his trademark fossilized walrus tusk pieces (collected in Alaska) attached as decoration.
MINNEAPOLIS HANDICRAFT GUILD:
BOSTON SOCIETY OF ARTS & CRAFTS:
In 1897, the Society of Arts & Crafts started in Boston, followed in 1901 by the workshop outlet, the Handicraft Shop. The Society & the Shop had a focus on fine handmade metalwork & enamelling & many young craftsmen were trained in this fertile environment. Even though many of these boxes & items have similar workmanship, form & design, few are signed except by the master craftsmen who started their own shops, Frank Marshall, Rebecca Cauman & Gertrude Twichell.
POTTER STUDIO:
Started by Horace Potter in Cleveland, he was a member of the Society of Arts & Crafts in Boston. The most unique element of their work is that they typically would utilize other artisan's work in their metal, I have seen carved bone & ivory, handbeaten pewter, enamels & even Batchelder tiles.
CHRISTOPHER TORNOE
Tornoe worked in Santa Barbara, CA and was a close friend of Elizabeth Eaton Burton and her father Charles Eaton. Frederick Rhead's pottery studio was also situated on his estate. He was an architect, carpenter and metalworker - this rare sconce came from his estate, it features hammered & repousse copper set with pink enamelled cherry blossoms and blue/green enamelled peacock feathers. There are few other pieces of his work known to exist.
ETC FISH:
A single craftsman who made all his own pieces, Edgar Thomas Cullen Fish signed his worked "ETC FISH / TIOGA, PA" with an "F" in a Heart. The majority of his work is in brass, copper is very rare, all items are of very high quality with exquisite hammering.
I recently received some biographical information on Fish from a former neighbor of his in Tioga. Ed lived on the same street (Broad St) in the same house his entire life (outside one stint in Tennessee) & lived to be over 100 years old, passing away in the 1980's. Fish began making art metal in 1916, his first piece was a set of candle sticks made from a fire extinguisher he got from a junk man. He began making a living out of hammered metal, making bookends, trays, vases and candle holders all by hand. Ed never advertised his wares but word of mouth brought customers & commissions to his door for many years. A local article from 1962 points out that his 2 basic designs were "birds-eye hammering..and a design that resembles wood carving. He uses a pattern for flat work but with detailed designs and products such as bowls he uses only the judgement of his eye for accuracy." Asked why he used the HEART monogram, Ed replied "Because my heart is in my work." Ed collected (and repaired) clocks and his house was known to be filled with mint condition antiques. In 1967, Ed was 90 and still taking orders "When I reached 90, I thought I'd retire. Then it occurred to me that if I took to sitting in that old rocker of mine, I'd just be committing suicide. I think I'll keep at my work as long as I'm able."
A few fun notes - a motto on his front door read - It takes a heap o' living to make a house a home. Tioga also honored their oldest living resident by naming a street after him, so if you are in Tioga, head for Fish street and salute a fine craftsman!
APOLLO STUDIOS
the majority of work that is found with this firms mark were brass "punch" kits that were sold to amateur metalworkers to craft themselves from designs. They also had their own line of artistic metal, some of the better forms came in the shape of art nouveau stylized lamps. You will find desk sets and candles with this same dark patina and hammered technique.
ROYCROFT:
