From elegant tea sets to grand goblets, splendid platters and snuff boxes, the Cincinnati Art Museum holds over 400 pieces of silver designed, crafted, and sold in its city. With its founding in 1788, Cincinnati established itself as a leading center for the luxury silver trade in the United States. Cincinnati Silver: 1788–1940 traces the silver industry in the Queen City from the early years of production before the Civil War, through the growth of mechanization and mass production, and into the Arts and Crafts and Art Deco periods.

As the first comprehensive volume to be published on this subject in nearly forty years, Cincinnati Silver: 1788– 1940 is a vital resource for scholars, collectors, and enthusiasts of American silver, as well as those interested in American material culture and the development of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century commerce. With stunning color photography and in-depth research, Cincinnati Silver recounts the complex and fascinating story of the development of one of America’s most important cities.