Fine and Fancy: Silverware & Jewelry
Silverware and Jewelry
From unique presentation pieces made by local silversmiths to mass-produced, patented flatware patterns, silver has been available in many forms for New Orleans shoppers. Craftsmen trained as jewelers, watchmakers, and silversmiths expanded their inventories by importing luxuries in the latest styles from France, England, and New York City. The goods they sold were not limited to precious metals: pistols, statues, and even pianos were available alongside gold and silver jewelry and tableware.
Jean-Noel Delarue (active 1802–42)
Jean-Noel Delarue was born outside Bordeaux, France, in 1776 and was trained as a silversmith before he arrived in New Orleans around 1802. Although he was one of the most prolific early silversmiths in New Orleans, Delarue also sold elegant assortments of Parisian jewelry alongside his own contemporary French-style silver at his shop, which moved several times between Bourbon, Royal, and Chartres Streets.
Anthony Rasch (active 1820–1857)
The second son of a German count, Anthony Rasch was trained as a silversmith in France and worked in Philadelphia before establishing his business at 75 Chartres Street. Rasch produced silverware in “either French or English taste,” which he sold alongside imported Sheffield plate, silver from France and Philadelphia, and Saratoga mineral water.
Hyde & Goodrich (1828–61)
James N. Hyde worked in New York for a few years before setting up a branch of his retail business in New Orleans by 1817. His brother-in-law Charles Whiting Goodrich joined him in business in New Orleans within the next decade. The original Hyde & Goodrich store was located on Chartres Street by 1828 but moved to the corner of Canal and Royal Streets in 1853. Advertisements described the store as being located at the “Sign of the Golden Pelican,” referring to the large gold pelican perched at the top of the building’s balcony, which is visible in street views of the period. The firm employed silversmiths and watchmakers, including German craftsmen Christoph Christian Küchler and Adolphe Himmel, to make and repair goods for their customers. However, the majority of Hyde & Goodrich’s business was selling fancy imported goods, including patented pistols, pens, watches, and flatware from northeastern and European manufacturers.
A. B. Griswold & Co. (1865–1924)
After a brief time operating under the name Thomas Griswold & Co. during the Civil War, A. B. Griswold & Co. became the successor to Hyde & Goodrich in 1865, carrying on the business at the same location. The firm continued the practices of its predecessor: hiring local craftsmen to make custom goods while also contracting with major manufacturers to sell mass-produced silver flatware and hollowware. The company was one of the largest agents for the Gorham Manufacturing Co. of Providence, Rhode Island, and Wood & Hughes of New York and carried many of their patented silver patterns.
T. Hausmann & Sons (1878–1980s)
Henry Hausmann worked for a brief time as a silversmith in Adolphe Himmel’s silver manufactory. He took over that business after Himmel’s death in 1877, but a year later, Hausmann also passed away, leaving the business to his wife, Theresa. She ran the silver manufactory, which produced solid silver and silver-plated ware, including patented suspender buckles, and was joined in the business by her sons, Louis and Gabriel, in the early 1890s. T. Hausmann & Sons, which became known simply as Hausmann’s by the 1920s, occupied a beautiful building on Baronne Street. The company took over A. B. Griswold & Co. in 1924, becoming the third successor to Hyde & Goodrich.
E. A. Tyler (active 1844–79)
Edward Augustus Tyler was born in Massachusetts in 1815 and trained as a watchmaker before he moved to New Orleans by 1841. Tyler worked in a partnership selling watches and jewelry at the beginning of the 1840s, but in 1844 he went into business by himself. For a brief time, he was an agent to Nunns & Clark, Chickering, and A. H. Gale piano companies, selling their instruments and sheet music alongside his watches and jewelry. During the Civil War, Tyler remained loyal to his adopted home and was imprisoned by Major General Benjamin F. Butler during the Union occupation. Tyler’s jewelry store at 115 Canal Street was very prosperous after the war. He employed silversmiths, jewelers, and watchmakers to repair jewelry and make some custom pieces. He also made regular trips to New York for merchandise and was an agent for major manufacturers.
M. Scooler (active 1848?–1900)
Maurice Scooler was a German-born jeweler who ran a successful store on Canal Street. Although Scooler’s shop was open by 1848, it was not very large or prosperous until the last quarter of the nineteenth century. He advertised diamonds, silverware, and clocks, just off the boat and in the latest Parisian styles. In 1885 he sold World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition specialty souvenirs. At the end of the century, M. Scooler’s provided a number of the custom pins and favors for the Mardi Gras krewes.
