Dean Six, Editor-in-Chief, Silver Magazine

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By all accounts the gala weekend held at Replacements, Ltd. on September 25-27, 2008, to celebrate 40 years of Silver Magazine publishing excellence was a great success! Editor-in-chief Dean Six welcomed more than 60 individuals, drawn by their love for silver, from as far away as Washington state, Florida, and points between. During the three-day event here in Greensboro, NC, participants enjoyed good food, camaraderie, and wonderfully informative presentations by D. Albert Soeffing, Joseph P. Brady, and Gary Albert. We’re especially grateful to one of our participants, Kay Freeman, an independent researcher from Philadelphia, PA, who provided information to help us update a recent museum feature on floral design, chased “ Repousee” silver that appeared in the newsletter!

Antique serving pieces on display at gala reception

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Two of the floral design, chased “Repousee” pieces in our Museum collection are very similar to the “Repousse” work of Samuel Kirk & Son of Baltimore, MD. The pieces, however, a sugar bowl with lid and a waste bowl, bear the stamp, “W. M. Saxton.” Our curators had not been able to find information about Saxton. And this is where Ms. Freeman came to our assistance.

Carol Kirkman, Silver Department, leads facilities tour

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Ms. Freeman’s research shows that the mystery mark, “W. M. Saxton,” is that of William M. Saxton, born 1841 in Maryland, and died June 10, 1908, in Baltimore. Saxton was a jeweler by trade, owning a retail establishment on Church Street in Baltimore. About 1867 he married Mary A. Jenkins. Unfortunately, Mary passed away about 1880, and Saxton then married Mary’s younger sister, Josephine. William M. Saxton’s brothers-in-law were Talbot Winchester Jenkins and W. Armour Jenkins of the Jenkins & Jenkins Silver Company, a well-known Baltimore silver manufacturer and the creator of the “Repousse” flatware pattern, now most often associated with the Kirk Silver Company. For those who might be interested in seeing an additional example of floral design “Repousse” silver (with ram’s head finial handles, like the pieces in our collection), Ms. Freeman points out that a pitcher, very similar in design to the pieces in our Museum collection, is displayed on a sideboard in the American Galleries of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Our sincere thanks to Ms. Freeman for providing that information!

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