H74.702.1

Tea Server. Description: Silver ewer (marked "COIN"), elaborately engraved, with ivory handles. the inscription reads: "Presented to E. D. Baker by the Merchants of San Francisco, Calif. as a mark of the esteem and confidence, 1860." A figure of a man resting on a crate with various tools and boxes surounding hom and a circualr railroad track adorn the piece. The lower part of the ewer has an engraving of a bridge. Dimensions: .1 & .2 together weigh c. 160 oz. Troy. History: Presented to Senator E. D. Baker by the Merchants of San Francisco in 1860. John W. Tucker, jeweler and forward looking civic leader, a determined proponent of the railroad, ahd these two matching pieces made for exhibition in the 3rd mechanics Institution Fair of September 1860, in New York City by Gorham and Co. When these pieces were presented to Senator Baker, "The Daily Alta California" of Nov. 10, 1860, observed the cost to Mr. Tucker had been between $4,000.00 & $5,000.00. From the History Information Station: Object: Silver tea urn and water pitcher, made by Gorham Company of New York in 1860. Commissioned by San Francisco jeweler John Tucker on behalf of a group of San Francisco merchants, for presentation to Oregon Senator Edward D. Baker. History: Both of these pieces are decorated with railroad and bridge motifs. San Francisco civic leaders advocated the construction of a transcontinental railroad and a bridge across the Golden Gate, and they gave these pieces to Senator Baker in an attempt to enlist his support for the projects. Baker (1811-1861), a friend and advisor of President Lincoln, had been for many years a prominent San Francisco attorney and orator, so San Franciscans courted him as an influential proponent of western development. Baker resigned from the Senate to serve in the Civil War, and he was killed in action in 1861. He is buried in the San Francisco Presidio, and the city's Baker Street, and Fort Baker, overlooking the Golden Gate, are named for him.

Used: E. D. Baker | Merchants of San Francisco | John W. Tucker | 3rd Mechanics Institution Fair ~ New York City