Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-29
REAL PEWTER SCARCE.
An Article of Table Ware which Has
BECOME Very Rare.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
1t has been the fortune of a few people to
dine off gold plate on some great state oc-
casion- Rather more people have sat at
meal when the plates and dishes were of
silver; but only small circle, 1t is quite
safe to say, have been at a dinner when
every article upon the table was made Of
pewter.
To the ordinary person the word pewter
means the metal, or rather alloy of metals
which go to form the ordinary beer tankard
in an inn. The collector Of pewter, how
ever. knows very differently. and most peo-
pie Will be surprised to hear that real old
pewter is extremely rare.
The modern public house tankard, al
though it may be known by the generic title
OF pewter" is not pewter at all. but a
much cheaper and less interesting mixture
of metal known as sand pewter
In fact, the old art of pewter making is
almost entirely lost, and no modern makers
have been abe to produce a combination
OF lead and tin equal to that which was cur
rent 100 or more years ago.
Experts in the subject say that in all
probability the famous pewter makers.
Hobhouse, Jarmyn and the like, possessed
the secret of a third ingredient which is
not now known. When the improved pro-
cesses of glassmaking made glass vessels
extraordinarily cheap pewter making fell
into disuse and with its fall its secret per-
lShed also.
For the collector of pewter this is most
happy circumstance, for it makes his OBJ
jects rare and valuable. Probably the best
known pewter collector in England Is
Frank Jackson, the well-known artist and
the secretary of the London Sketch Club.
1t was owing to him that the first din
ner was eaten entirely from pewter, and ii
is through him that the pewter dinners
have become artistic function. to which
many amateurs Of the curious in life would
give q good deal to be invited.
The originator of the idea began to col
iect pewter some time ago, in fragments.
He would come across dish here plate
there or a fine tankard in some country
tavern. AS the collection grew it became
his ambition to have a complete dinner ser
vice for at least six people, a thing which,
as every collector knows, is extremely diff
cult of achievement.
Gradually the set grew The fine collec-
ton OF tankardS belonging to one Of the
smaller inns of court came into the market
and was at once bought up. Some wonder
ful tureens and basins of pewter were
found in Rome, the remains of the table
service of cardinal in the middle ages
The greatest difficulty of all was expe-
rienced in the search for liquor glasses"
of pewter. The artist was determined that
nothing should be wanting in his dinner
service and that 1t should be complete down
to the smallest detail.
Eventually, strange as it may seem. the
nquor glasses were picked up in Algiers.
1hey are of very rare and curious work
manship. Pewter seems so thoroughly an
English product that one finds it difficult
10 imagine it of Moorish workmanship
Inc knives were discovered at the sale of
an old country mansion with its effects
me handles are of thick pewter II is Gu
r1ouS also to find how difficult it is to eat
with pewter spoons after the light silver
ones IN use in the present day. When the
Whoie dinner service was completed the
plan OF regular pewter dinners was inaue,,-
lateu py aIr jackson. These take place in
a great studio at the home of the artist
beuiord Park More than one old English
uaultlon is kept with due solemnity and
old English fare is eaten. anu