Charter Company (Wallingford, CT) designs in collections, at auction, in exhibitions, and historical information

Marks, articles & more concerning the design legacy.

ADC staff
artdesigncafé - design | Design Meriden | 31 March 2016 | Updated 6 October 2020

[Charter Company div., International Silver Co:] "Trademarks used on sterling reproductions of early Colonial silver. Made in the Barbour Silver Co. plant c. 1930-33. When that division was closed, the Charter line was moved to the sterling division in Wallingford. Discontinued about 1942." (Excerpt from Rainwater, Dorothy T. et al.’s 2004 encyclopedia entry listed below.)


A. Charter Company designs in collections (by year) [1] [2]


Info/photo status: = info and photo online
= info online, no photo
= completely offline


1920s

1928 - cocktail shaker

Charter Company / International Silver Co. (1928). Enameled silver. (Accession no. 2002.29.2.A-C. Viewed 1 April 2016. A00208.)

1929-30 - Saarinen-designed centerpiece bowl

Eliel Saarinen for Charter Company / (ISC). (1929-30). Centerpiece bowl. Sterling silver. Accession no. 2009.177.1. (Viewed 31 March 2017. A01859.)



Typically, any design patents utilized by an International Silver Company division or brand were assigned to the International Silver Company. (See the ISC historical documentation page).



B. Charter Company designs at auction


1930s

c. 1926-50 - tea and coffee service

Charter Company / ISC. (Second quarter 20th century). Six-piece silver tea and coffee service. (Viewed 7 May 2016. D00100.)

c. 1930-42 - tea tray

Charter Company / ISC. (c. 1930-42). Two-handled tea tray. Sterling silver. (Viewed 24 May 2016. A00697.)


n. d.

n. d. - cocktail shaker set

Attributed to Charter Company / ISC. (undated). Cocktail shaker set. Silver and enamel. (Viewed 24 May 2016. A00698.)



Click the following link to see designs and documentation for other historical silver companies from the Meriden area, and those that were connected to the International Silver Company; go to the historical Meriden design overview page and scroll down to section D: "ISC, predecessors & divisions" and E: "Other featured companies".



C. Charter Company designs in exhibitions


2000s

2000-02 - Metropolitan Museum of Art travelling exhibition

6 venues: 2000-02. American Modern, 1925–1940: Design for a new age.

> Venues: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (16 May 16 2000 - 7 January 2001); Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA (25 May - 19 August 2001); Flint Institute of Arts, MI (14 September 14 - 16 December 2001); Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia (11 January - 7 April 2002); Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC (3 May - 28 July 2002); Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK (23 August - 17 November 2002).

> Eliel Saarinen for Charter Company / International Silver Co. (c. 1929). Centerpiece. (Private lender; since in the Yale University Art Gallery collection, see above.)

  • For documentation, see historical information section below.

2005-07 - Dallas Museum of Art travelling exhibition

5 venues: 2005-07. Modernism in American Silver: 20th-Century Design. (Viewed 21 March 2016. A00140.)

> Exhibition venues: Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; Nevada Museum of Art, Reno; Dallas Museum of Art; The Wolfsonian, Miami Beach, FL; The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN.


2010s

2016-17 - Dallas Museum of Art

18 November 2016 - 12 November 2017. Shaken, stirred, styled: The art of the cocktail at Dallas Museum of Art.

> Exhibited design: Charter Company / ISC. (1928). Cocktail shaker. (Dallas Museum of Art collection, listed above.)

  • For documentation, see design catalogue and historical information below.



See our Design Meriden compilation listing over 1000 exhibitions since 1851, featuring historical design associated with the Meriden area.



D. Charter Company design catalogues and historical information


For Charter Company marks, see Rainwater et. al’s 1966 & 2004 encyclopedia entries, and "undated" section at end, online and linked below.


1920s

c. 1929 - stock book (copy)

Charter Company / International Silver Company. (c. 1929). Stock book (copy). Number of pages unknown. (Viewed 15 February 2018. AAA03001; AAA03018).


1960s

1966 - encyclopedia entry

Rainwater, Dorothy T. (1966). "Charter Company" [/ International Silver Co.], (p. 29). In American silver manufacturers: Their marks, trademarks and history. Everybodys Press: Hanover, PA. (Viewed 5 August 2020. L01882-83; L01890).


2000s

2000-02 - exhibition catalogue - Charter Co. / ISC in Metropolitan Museum of Art travelling exhibition

Johnson, J. Stewart. (2000). American modern, 1925-1940 : design for a new age exhibition catalogue. [See exhibitions section above for 6 venues; in exhibition: Eliel Saarinen for Charter Company / International Silver Co. (c. 1929). Centerpiece.] 192 pp. (New York: Abrams in association with the American Federation of Arts.) (Viewed 16 November 2018. A02736; L00867-69).

2004 - encyclopedia entry

Rainwater, Dorothy T.; Fuller, Martin; Fuller, Collette. (2004). "Charter Company" [/International Silver Co.] [with marks], (p. 44). Encyclopedia of American silver manufacturers, (revised and expanded 5th ed.). Schiffer Publishing: Atglen, PA. (See excerpt at the the top of this page. Viewed 2 August 2020. L01993)


2010s

c. 2011 - design page in book

Gordon, John Stuart (c. 2011). "Eliel Saarinen, designer; Charter Company / International Silver Company; Centerpiece bowl", (1929-30). In Gordon’s A Modern world: American design from the Yale University Art Gallery 1920-1950, (pp. 287-88). Yale University Art Gallery in association with Yale University Press. (Viewed 15 May 2018. AAA03001; AAA03017-18).

2016 - spotlighted news mention and photo - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

Joseph, Dana. (2 November 2016). Dallas Museum of Art exhibition to explore the art of the cocktail [announcement of Shaken, Stirred, Styled: The Art of the Cocktail show (18 November 2016 - 12 November 2017), with mention and photo of Charter Company / ISC. (1928). Cocktail shaker. (Dallas Museum of Art collection.)]. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. (Viewed 28 November 2018. B01228-30).


2016 - other articles

See the articles


2016 - news mention and photo - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

Dangremond, Sam. (28 September 2016). Cheers! Here’s some of the best barware of all time [photo gallery with captions, including Charter Company / ISC. (1928). Cocktail shaker. (Dallas Museum of Art collection.)] Town & Country. (Viewed 29 November 2018. B01224-27).

2016 - design in photo gallery Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

(28 September 2016). Cheers! Here’s some of the best barware of all time [with photo of Charter Company / International Silver Co. cocktail shaker (1928), and link to Town & Country article online]. Yahoo! (Lifestyle section) / Town & Country. (Viewed 2 July 2020. F01309-11).

2016 - design in photo gallery - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

(28 September 2016). Cheers! Here’s some of the best barware of all time [with photo of Charter Company / International Silver Co. cocktail shaker (1928), and link to Town & Country article online]. Yahoo! (News section) / Town & Country. (Viewed 2 July 2020. F01313-15).

2016 - design in photo gallery - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

(28 September 2016). Cheers! Here’s some of the best barware of all time [with photo of Charter Company / International Silver Co. cocktail shaker (1928), and link to Town & Country article online]. Yahoo! Canada (News section) / Town & Country. (Viewed 2 July 2020. F01316-18).

2016 - design in photo gallery - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

(28 September 2016). Cheers! Here’s some of the best barware of all time [with photo of Charter Company / International Silver Co. cocktail shaker (1928), and link to Town & Country article online]. Yahoo! India (News section) / Town & Country. (Viewed 17 July 2020. F01319-21).

2016 - design in photo gallery - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

(28 September 2016). Cheers! Here’s some of the best barware of all time [with photo of Charter Company / International Silver Co. cocktail shaker (1928), and link to Town & Country article online]. Yahoo! Singapore (News section) / Town & Country. (Viewed 2 July 2020. F01322-24).

2016 - design in photo gallery - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

(28 September 2016). Cheers! Here’s some of the best barware of all time [with photo of Charter Company / International Silver Co. cocktail shaker (1928), and link to Town & Country article online]. Yahoo! UK (News section) / Town & Country. (Viewed 20 July 2020. F01325-27).

2016 - photo in article - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

Ramirez, Marc. (4 November 2016). DMA exhibit to showcase cocktail culture history— through its barware [with photos of Wallace Brothers Silver Company cocktail shaker with cups (1928) and Charter Company / International Silver Co. shaker (1928); both unattributed in the article]. Dallas Morning News. (Viewed 2 July 2020. F01312).

2016 - news mention with photo - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

Hostetter, Alaena. (23 November 2016). DMA’s intoxicating exhibit celebrates the artistry in cocktail makers’ tools [with mention and photo of Charter Company / ISC. (1928). Cocktail shaker. (Dallas Museum of Art collection.)] Dallas Observer. (Viewed 29 November 2018. B01231-40).

2016 - news mention with photo - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

Beach, Laura. (20 December 2016). Shaken, stirred, styled: The art of the cocktail [with mention and photo of Charter Company / ISC. (1928). Cocktail shaker. (Dallas Museum of Art collection.)] Antiques and the Arts. (Viewed 29 November 2018. B01242).



2016-17 - exhibition checklist - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

Dallas Museum of Art. (c. 2016). Exhibition checklist for Shaken, stirred, styled: The art of the cocktail (18 November 2016 - 12 November 2017). [Exhibited design: Charter Company / ISC. (1928). Cocktail shaker. (Dallas Museum of Art collection, listed above.)] (Viewed 28 November 2018. AAA000155-56; AAA00542-43).

2017 - photo in article - Charter Company / ISC in Dallas Museum of Art exhibition

Voon, Claire. (6 October 2017). A stirring history of cocktail design [with installation photo of Charter Company / ISC. (1928). Cocktail shaker. (Dallas Museum of Art collection)]. Hyperallergic. (Viewed 29 November 2018. B01244).

2019 - article

Braznell, W. Scott. (March / April 2019). The history and the marks of The Charter Company, a special division of the International Silver Company. Silver Magazine, [page number(s) unknown]. (Viewed 6 October 2020. E01688).

  • See worldcat.org for possible locations.


n.d.

n. d. - Charter Company mark

(undated). Charter Company mark. (Viewed 26 April 2020. C01299).


Footnote:
[1] The Charter Company, Wallingford, was active c. 1930-42 and an International Silver Company division. (See Stern, Jewel. (2005). Modernism in American silver, page 353. Dallas Museum of Art and Yale University Press.) Viewed 15 May 2016. [A00662]

[2] Any design patents utilized by the Charter Company were probably issued to the International Silver Company. Many ISC design patents are compiled on the ISC historical documentation page.