Whiting Manufacturing Co.

1866 - 1926

American

The Whiting Manufacturing Company was founded by William Dean Whiting in Attleboro, Massachusetts in 1866. William Dean Whiting had previously made a name for himself in the firm Tifft & Whiting, a successful firm he had started with his cousin in 1840. Whiting was trained as a silversmith by his uncle, John Tift who worked for the Draper and Tift firm. Whiting founded the Whiting Manufacturing Co. after Tifft & Company was liquidated due to debts. A fire in the Massachusetts factory led to the company’s relocation to New York City in 1875. It was after this time that they became one of the premier producers of sterling silver flatware, hollowware, and other decorative objects. The firm is best known for their Japanese-inspired silver, the height of which was between 1874 and 1890. The Japanese-inspired objects were a way to set the firm apart from its larger and more established manufacturers, Gorham Manufacturing Company and Tiffany & Company. The designs drew from Japanese prints, pottery, metalwork, and textiles. Little is known about the designers of the company despite their prolific production. The first chief designer was William Dean Whiting, who was the founder. Whiting retired in 1880. Other designers may have been Edwin David French and Charles Osbourne. Charles Osbourne was a well-known designer for Tiffany. By 1893 Whiting was the third largest silver-manufacturing firm in the United States. They achieved this by adopting a factory-like production with many highly specialized workers. The Japanese-inspired designs were not sustaining in the long-run. 1905 Gorham purchased Whiting and continued to make silver under Whiting brand until 1926, when it absorbed the company.