Pottier & Stymus
Pottier & Stymus was an American interior design company that flourished in the last third of the 19th century.
company
The company was founded by Auguste Pottier , an immigrant from France, and William P. Stymus senior. They took over their previous employer's New York company, Rochefort and Skarren , in 1859 after Rochefort died. From May 1, 1859, they traded as Pottier & Stymus with a workshop at 115 Wooster Street and a sales room at 623 Broadway .
Pottier & Stymus were quickly successful. In 1875 they had 750 employees. Their clients included wealthy private individuals, but also the public sector. In February 1888, Pottier and Stymus Manufacturing Company liquidated and became the Pottier and Stymus Company . Adrian Pottier, a nephew of Auguste Pottier, was in charge. Further members of the company management were Auguste Pottier as vice president of the company, William P. Stymus senior and junior, Frank Pentz and a few other men. On March 1, a fire broke out in the Lexington Avenue factory and left the buildings in ruins. They were rebuilt in the same place.
Known customers
In 1869, Pottier & Stymus furnished the President's office and the cabinet room in the White House . In 1875, the railroad king Leland Stanford had his house in Palo Alto furnished by Pottier & Stymus.
Between 1882 and February 1884, Pottier & Stymus furnished Glenmont Estate in Llewellyn Park , New Jersey, for more than $ 36,000 . This house was the residence of Thomas Alva Edison for 45 years ; however, it was not the famous inventor who commissioned the facility. The house was built and furnished by Henry Hudson Holly for Henry C. Pedder in 1880 . Pedder was found cheating on his employers, Arnold, Constable & Co. , shortly after the abode was completed , and his property passed into the hands of his employers. In 1885 Edison, who had just entered into his second marriage, took over the property. Of the around 120 pieces that Pottier & Stymus once sold to Pedder, around 70% have been preserved. Of these, only 23 pieces of furniture bearing the relevant inscriptions can be clearly assigned. In 1888 the Edison family had Pottier & Stymus make some changes and additions.
In addition to exclusive furniture for official buildings and very wealthy customers, the company also produced simpler and cheaper furniture. This is at least suggested by drawings in New Monthly Magazine of November 1876.
Company archive
The Golden Book of Celebrated Manufacturers and Merchants in the United States , which was published on the occasion of the Exhibition of the Century in Philadelphia , shows that Pottier & Stymus maintained a sophisticated documentation system for their products. Each piece of furniture was given a specific, multi-digit number at the start of production; Pieces that belong together can be recognized by their numbers that are close together. The furniture was probably also included in the company's photo gallery.
Museum pieces
Thomas Alva Edison's residence is now a museum. More pieces by Pottier & Stymus can be seen in the Brooklyn Museum . A table in the Metropolitan Museum of Art cannot be attributed with certainty .
Curiosity
In 1876 the New York Times reported on a legal dispute between Pottier & Stymus and the unwilling to pay governor Samuel J. Tilden .
literature
- Kristin S. Herron: The modern gothic furniture of Pottier and Stymus , Magazine Antiques, May 1999, online
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_5_155/ai_54682883/pg_2/?tag=content;col1
- ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_5_155/ai_54682883/pg_4/?tag=content;col1
- ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_5_155/ai_54682883/
- ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_5_155/ai_54682883/pg_3/?tag=content;col1
- ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_5_155/ai_54682883/pg_2/?tag=content;col1
- ↑ http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/artists/13907/Pottier__and__Stymus
- ↑ http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/revi/ho_68.207a,b.htm
- ↑ http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=980CEFDE153FE63BBC4B53DFB667838D669FDE