Washington Winter Show 2010

& Son, A. Jacobi & Co., and Tiffany & Co., among others (Figure 8). ARMISTEAD PETER, JR. AND ANNA WRIGHT WILLIAMS Following Britannia Peter Kennon’s death in 1911, Tudor Place’s contents, including The Washington Collection, were divided among her five grandchildren. One of these grand- children, Armistead Peter, Jr. (1870–1960), purchased his siblings’ shares of the house, moved into Tudor Place, and resolved to restore it to its former glory. A fortunate mar- riage in 1894 to his cousin, Anna (Nannie) Wright Williams (1872–1961), brought new resources to the transformation of the home. The renovation of Tudor Place, completed in 1914, equipped the house with the latest inventions: electric- ity; plumbing; a new heating system with steam radiators; an “annunciator” or call bell system; and an intercom system. Beautiful furnishings provided the backdrop for grand en- tertaining. Elaborate dinners were served in the dining room by the butler, Jacob Taube. Armistead Peter, Jr. and Nannie Pe- ter equipped their home with over fifty-nine patterns of china and the finest silver to grace their table. They purchased silver flatware and holloware as well as toilette objects from the well- known silver companies of the day. By the mid-twentieth cen- tury, the family had one of the finest domestic silver collections in the region. While the Peters purchased many fine eighteenth century goods, they were also drawn to the Arts and Crafts style. Steeped in the ideals of British reformers William Mor- ris and John Ruskin, the Arts and Crafts movement empha- sized the importance of the creative hand-worked process and turned away from mass production. Proponents of the move- ment in America, such as Gustav Stickley and Elbert Hubbard, Figure 8: Pair of Ewers, A. Jacobi & Co., Baltimore, MD, ca. 1879–1890. Silver. A. Jacobi, a seventh generation silversmith from Germany, founded his company in 1879. He received numerous design honors, including the gold medal from the Academie Nationale in Paris. In 1890 the firm became Jacobi & Co. and from 1894–1908 Jacobi & Jenkins. The firm worked only in sterling and was the only silversmith in Baltimore to produce and retail only items they produced. Gift of the Massie Family. Tudor Place Collection. Photograph by Red Tack Arts. 35