Cake Basket
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1884
notes: label: Description
content: Bail-handled, tapered-sided rectangular tray on four splayed cherub's head legs with an inset, clear aqua glass plaque or panel on its bottom painted in white enamel with a vignette of three children in an idyllic landscape. Twisted-wire handle is riveted to cast fan-shaped tabs at gadrooned edge of tray. A die-stamped band of medallions and scrolled volutes covers the interior of the tray's sides, and chased scrolling floral sprays punctuate its bottom corners. Underside of bottom is struck incuse along one side "MIDDLETOWN PLATE C\o. / [QUADRUPLE PLATE]" encircling cross-topped scales, "1884", and "HARD / WHITE / [METAL]".
label: Description
content: Painted decoration possibly by Mary Alice Gregory (1856-1908), who worked at the Boston and Sandwich Glass Co., Sandwich, MA, in the 1880s (sources differ on exact dates).
label: Description
content: Basket manufacturer is Middletown Plate Co. of Middletown, CT. Middletown Plate Co. was founded in 1864 and became a subsidiary of International Silver Co. in 1898; International continued to use the Middletown name and mark until at least 1921.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place stand made
content: United States: Connecticut, Middletown
label: place bowl made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Sandwich
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Bequest of Lois H. Garvin
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1994.0145.04
label: catalog number
content: 1994.0145.04
label: accession number
content: 1994.0145
objectType: label: Object Name
content: basket, cake
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (tray material)
label: Physical Description
content: enamel (tray decoration material)
label: Physical Description
content: silver plate (stand material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 3 7/8 in x 11 3/8 in x 10 in; 9.8425 cm x 28.8925 cm x 25.4 cm