This collection showcases a rich assortment of antique quadruple silver plate vanity accessories, including perfume and cologne bottles, atomizers, puff boxes, and other refined accoutrements. These exquisite items hail from the late Victorian to early Edwardian eras, a time when vanity sets were not only functional but designed to display wealth and taste on the dressing table.
The term quadruple silver plate refers to a process used primarily in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in which an object was coated with four times the standard amount of silver plating. This heavy silver coating made the items more lustrous and durable than standard silver-plated wares. Although not solid silver, these pieces offered the appearance and weight of sterling at a more affordable price, and they often rivaled sterling silver in beauty and craftsmanship. The use of the word "quadruple" became a marketing point, stamped onto the bases of many pieces to distinguish them from lesser-plated competitors.
Some of the atomizers and related vanity accessories in this grouping were manufactured by well-known American silver companies such as Wilcox Silverplate Co., Middletown Silver Co., Pairpoint, Meriden Britannia Co., and EG Webster & Son. These firms were active during the heyday of ornate silver manufacture and were known for their highly decorative designs. Many pieces feature floral repoussé work, intricate engraving, and elaborate finials or fittings—hallmarks of both the Victorian taste for excess and embellishment, and the transition to the refined elegance of the Edwardian aesthetic.
The catalog pages from which these images are drawn date between 1896 and 1907, offering a glimpse into the styles that appealed to consumers at the turn of the century. They come from period trade catalogs such as The Busiest House in America (published by Lapp & Flershem of Chicago) and Becken, which offered a wide range of luxury household goods. These catalogs not only served as sales tools for merchants and retailers but also as wish books for middle- and upper-class households seeking the latest in fashionable domestic goods.
Today, these quadruple silver plate vanity pieces are considered highly collectible. Their value lies not only in their age and craftsmanship but in the artistry of their design and the glimpse they offer into the domestic rituals of the past. When well-preserved, these objects remain stunning representations of the artistry and material culture of their era.
PERFUME ATOMIZERS:
The atomizers below were made by a variety of silverplate manufacturers including Pairpoint Mfg Co.
