On the cover:
Ambassadorial Old Sheffield Plate Soup Tureens Sheffield, 1814 by George Ashforth & Co. Height: 12” This important pair of soup tureens are engraved on one side with the English Royal arms and on the other with the arms of Shaw for William, 1st Earl Cathcart and Baron Greenock. The Royal arms indicate that these tureens were made specifically as part of the Earl’s service of ambassadorial silver; he served as the English Ambassador to the Russian Court at St. Petersburg from 1812 to 1821, and attended the Russian Emperor during the Napoleonic campaigns. The family is of ancient Scottish origin, William being the 10th Lord Cathcart of Scotland, a title dating back to 1452. Based on the engraved arms on these tureens, it is evident that they were made late in 1814, after he was made Earl Cathcart (July 16 of that year) and appointed Ambassador but before his departure depar ture for Russia.
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Stories in Silver Of all the qualities we seek in a piece of antique silver—condition, rarity, rarity, design, age—the one that’s that’s often most captivating is a good story. Provenance Provenance is more than just j ust the list of past owners. It’s It’s the whole history around the object. It includes, for example, the name of the horse whose taxidermied ears were sheathed in silver for posterity (page 7). Or the story about the king’s favorite son, beheaded after a failed rebellion, whose porringer somehow escaped the melting pot (page 16). Provenance can even bleed into matters of condition, as with the surface of the lion sejant spoon, pitted from the centuries it spent buried underground (page 23). Herein find a collection of rare and beautiful items with particularly interesting stories to tell. Benjamin Miller Director Director of Research Research
American Silver-Plated Model of a Plow Louisville, circa 1870-1880
Length: 21”
And detailed working model mod el in silver sil ver plate and painted wood of the “BLUE GRASS SULKY MODEL” made by B.F. Avery & Sons, Louisville, Ky. The B.F. Avery Co. was founded by Benjamin Franklin Avery in Louisville in 1847 (though it only assumed the name in 1850). An acquaintance wrote to him at the time, “My friends, if you can succeed in introducing your plow, you will have fortune
enough, but I don’t believe you can!” It was slow going but the company did ultimately achieve success, particularly after the Civil War. The firm is best known today for its early 20th-century motorized tractors (now collectors’ items), but in the late 19th century, B. F. Avery & Sons was actually the largest plow manufacturer in the world.
Silver-Gilt Racing Cup London, 1825/32 by John Bridge
Height: 22” Weight: 92 oz.
Horse racing was taken very very seriously in 18th- and 19th-century England. Horses were the backbone of the British army, in addition to serving critical roles in transportation and industry. Breeding better horses was more than a pastime, it was a national priority. Race prizes were therefore highly respected and coveted, and prestigious races offered trophies that could be extremely fine, elaborate, and expensive. expensive. This trophy is no exception. Awarded to a Mr. Cosby for his five-year-old horse Galopade, it was sponsored by King William IV and won at Brighton in 1833. Reportedly based on designs by Thomas Hope, and with a panel with an equestrian scene designed desi gned by Lady Dacre of the Hoo, St. Albans, the cup was evidently conceived as a work of creative design.
Charles II Basin London, 1683 Length: 19” Weight: 49 oz. 5 dwt. Maker’s Maker’s mark G.C. G.C. duplicated in reverse A very rare wash basin originally belonging to a toilet service. Such services were traditionally given by wealthy husbands to their brides. This one is engraved with a cypher for Catherine, wife of Thomas Tufton, the 6th Earl of Thanet. They were married on 14th August 1684, probably at Welbeck Abbey (conveniently, (conveniently, owned by her father). One of the few extant toilet services complete compl ete with its oval dish is at Welbeck Welbeck Abbey, Abbey, suggesting the possibility possib ility that Thanet was inspired by this set, made at the same time. The dish boasts a wonderful color col or and patination, and the chased border, in the English baroque style, is still very crisp. Provenance: - Catherine Tufton, wife of Thomas Tufton, 6th Earl of Thanet. By descent to her daughter, Mary Tufton, 3rd wife of John Leveson Gower, Gower, 1st Earl Gower, 1736. They had two sons, Thomas who died young and John, who married Francis Boscawen. Bo scawen. Thence by descent to Mrs. Leveson Gower. - Christie’s, June 28, 1916, Lot 19. Bought by Crichton and Sons. Whereabouts unknown until purchased by Airlie Holden Hindley, circa 1975 Loan Loan Exhibition (property of above) Brand Inglis, July 5th-15th 5th-15th 1978, no. 11, Albert Collection.
Charles II Tankard London, 1673 by Francis Leake
Height: 6 !” Weight: 30 oz.
This phenomenal tankard is technically neither church silver nor royal; but it belonged to the head of the Anglican Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Tennison, who crowned both Queen Anne and King George I. Tennison bequeathed the piece to the Bishop of Norwich, Dr. Charles Trimnell. Trimnell. It descended via Trimnell’s Trimnell’s wife in the Winn family of Nostell Priory until the late 20th century. century. Inscribed: “Legatum Amicissimi Reverandissimi in Christo Patris Thomae Nuper Cantuar Archiepi”
Irish Freedom Box Dublin, 1765 by Joseph Johns
Diameter: 3 "” Weight: 6 oz.
“Freedom” was an honor granted by (typically Irish) towns to an outsider in recognition of a contribution or accomplishment. The paper certificate granting freedom would be presented in a “freedom box”, generally a silver or gold vessel. This box is a very rare example of a freedom box marked by its maker (Joseph Johns). Presented by the city of Limerick, its inscription reads: “The Freedom Freedom of the Corporation Corporation of of the City City of Limerick granted this day 25th Sept 1765 Albert Gledstone Esqr Native of Dublin Testimony of his Honorable and Upright conduct”. While Limerick documents do record the awarding of Gledstone’s freedom, his contribution to the city does not seem to have have been of sufficient significance to warrant much documentation. In other words: who he was, and what he did, remains unknown.
Unusual Pair Pair of Silver-Sheathed Horse Ears London, 1790 Height: 4 "” by Thomas Phipps & Edward Robinson Yes, Yes, the ears are real. And while we aren’t exactly taxidermists, it’s safe to say the job was well done, considering how long they’ve lasted. We We can only imagine how precious the steed, Puppet, must have been whose owner—Francis A. Jefferie—was moved to immortalize immor talize him by preserving its ears in silver. Jefferie was a Middlesex brewer, on Old Street. Inscribed: “In Remembrance of a Black Gelding Puppet late the property of Francis A Jefferie, Jefferie, which in its time, was supposed to be the fastest Chaise Horse in England, 1790”
Souvenirs of a Famous Famous Victorian Shakespeare Shakespeare Production Width: 27” On the night of November 1, 1879, a young young Oscar Wilde walked into Henry Ir ving’s ving’s Lyceum Theatre to see The Merchant of Venice Venice . Before he walked out, Wilde had not only witnessed a historic production; he had composed a paean to the leading actress, the much-adored Ellen Terry. His sonnet for Terry’s Portia split no hairs: No woman Veronesé looked upon Was Was half so fair as thou whom I behold. The very same Portia for ms half of the featured duo du o in this 1885 plaque (above) by the celebrated celebr ated embosser emb osser Léonard Morel-Ladeuil, working for Elkington & Co. Co. The other half is Henry Ir ving as Shylock, undoubtedly the most important player of the role in the nineteenth century. century. Irving’s production ran for an unprecedented 250 performances and was frequently reprised, including nine tours of North America. Its most extraordinary feature was Irving’s portrayal of Shylock, a character customarily customarily played—with anti-Semitic overtones—as a spiteful caricature. Irving brought us deeper drama with a Shylock slighted and spurned by a caustic society, seeking desperate justice and reparation ag ainst a myopic Antonio. (cont.)
To To commemorate the hundredth performance of Irving’s Merchant —already an extraordinarily long run at the time— Irving invited practically the whole of London’s London’s gentry, literary elite (including, yes, Oscar Wilde), and dramaturgical community to dine with him that night, right on the stage of the Lyceum: [Guests] were each presented with a copy of Irving’s text of T he Merchant bound in white parchment and lettered in gold, and they sat down to a meal of clear turtle soup, cold salmon and cucumbers, lamb cutlets and mushrooms...washed down with magnums of Heidsieck champagne (1874) (1874) and Leoville claret of the same year, while a string quintet played softly…. One clever attendee took a pair of these magnums to nearby silversmith Rupert Favell, who fashioned them into this unique claret jug and goblet (below). The playful inscription reads: This Bottle held Good Wine given by a Good Fellow to Good Fellows And—They liked it. It remains a mystery to us exactly who among the approximately three hundred distinguished guests commissioned Favell to make this pair.
Set of Coffee Cups Cups and Saucers Saucers New York, 1878 by Tiffany & Co.
Height (cups): 2 #” Diameter (saucers): 4”
A few years had passed since John William Mackay (below) and his partners had stumbled across the “big bonanza” of silver ore in the Comstock Lode of Nevada. John, an Irishman married to the New York native Marie Hungerford, invited his wife to visit the excavation that had lifted him from nothing to become one of the wealthiest men in America. Awed by the glistering metals, his wife suggested that they have something made for themselves from the mine’s riches. Soon after, a shipment of a half-ton of
silver was on its way to Tiffany & Co. in New York, where 200 craftsmen set to work making one of the most ambitious dinner services in history histor y. A total of 1,250 pieces were made and sent to Paris in time for the 1878 Exposition Universelle. The Mackays, Mackays, spurned by New York society, society, made their home in Paris. Here the service would have been used by their guests, including the likes likes of President Ulysses S. Grant and Buffalo Bill. These cups and saucers are among a small number of pieces from the service decorated in Islamic style with gilding and colorful enamel. As of publication, we have have four cups and four saucers available.
Electrotype Cup and Saucer Birmingham, 1844 by Elkington & Co.
Height: 4 !”
The Birmingham firm Elkington & Co. was among the earliest manufacturers to seek applications for electricity in the production of new forms and materials. materials. Pioneers in electrotyping, Elkington would eventually fabricate vast numbers of copies of famous historic objects, making it possible for private citizens to own convincing convincing reproductions of some of the most iconic and ambitious works works of decorativ decorativee art. To To create an electrotype a wax mold is made of an original model model and then covered with metallic powder to make it electrically conductive. It is then very heavily electroplated. The mold is then removed, leaving behind a perfectly formed object. This cup, modeled after Greek forms, was created and signed by the great Danish designer Benjamin Schlick (1796-1872). The scene is the apotheosis of Homer, surely inspired by by the Ingres painting of the same subject (now at the Louvre). Interestingly, a nearly identical cup is in the collection of the Minneapolis Minneapolis Museum Museum of Art. Theirs appears to be made in one piece— typical electroplate fashion—while ours is part electroplate, part machined, and assembled from several separate pieces. Theirs is also al so unsigned, u nsigned, while ours bears Schlick’s signature (in Greek). It’s possible that our cup was a prototype and the one at Minneapolis represents the final product. In any case, this is one of the earliest examples of electrotyping. Schlick studied architecture and archaeology in Copenhagen and Paris, and he counted among his patrons Frederick Frederick VI of Denmark, Denmark, Charles X of France, Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden, Prince Torlonia in Rome, and Prince Nicolai Nicolai of Russia. Russia. The Elkington & Co. records at the Victoria and Albert Museum include references to Schlick’s Schlick’s design of this piece, including the note pictured here on the right.
Prince Albert’s Greyhound London, 1840 Length: 10” by Robert Garrard Weight: 39 oz. 2 dwt. There are really two stories about this royal token: One concerning its making, the other its discovery. There was little that young Prince Albert loved more than his childhood companion, the greyhound Eos (named for the Greek goddess of the dawn). She was his companion through a lonely childhood and in 1839 accompanied him to England where he was to marry Queen Victoria. Albert’s twenty-first birthday was August 26 of the following year. What do you buy for the Prince-Consort who wh o has ha s ever eve r ythi yt hing ng?? Vict Vi ctor oria ia went we nt to the th e Royal Roy al Goldsmiths, Robert Garrard, and commissioned this figure: a silver likeness of her beloved’s beloved’s dear companion. In her
private diary on that day, Victoria wrote: “These I give him (from myself), a fine opal... set with diamonds, a silver figure of Eos, a Field Marshal’s Marshal’s Baton... all of which he was much pleased”. At some point, for unknown reasons (presumably a gift) this object left the Royal Collection. Its significance might have been lost forever had it not been for the sharp eye of the redoubtable English dealer John Bourdon-Smith, who was looking at a centerpiece in the Royal Collection and, amazingly, recognized that the bumps on the dog’s face are in the same places as those on this model. The modeling on that centerpiece was known to have been done by Edward Cotterell, the name engraved on the base of this model. Further research in the Garrard Ledgers and the Queen’s Diary (see above) proved that this was the long-lost birthday present that the Queen gave to her new husband, about six months into their epic love story.
Pair of George II Seal Salvers London, 1728/35 by Edward Vincent and John Liger Diameter: 13 "” Weight: 83 oz. 10 dwt. These are two of about a dozen surviving “seal salvers,” so called because they are engraved with the matrices matrices of a seal of office. office. Seals of office office were used to validate legal documents with impressions in wax, many of which can still be found attached to historical documents. The seals themselves, the most important of which were made of silver, were were produced at the Royal Mint and distributed to the office holder at the commencement of his term. When a seal became obsolete (as might happen for example with the death of the sovereign) seals were were traditionally kept as a perquisite, but, because they needed to be rendered unusable, they were traditionally converted into some other silver object, nearly always a salver, with the matrices engraved thereon. (cont.)
The example that many silver enthusiasts will know best is the Walpole salver, which is engraved with the seal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Exchequer of George I. It is one of the greatest surviving works by Paul de Lamerie, Lamerie, and, is supposed to have been engraved by William Hogarth for Robert Walpole. Eyre was a close friend of both Walpole Walpole and the Duke of Marlborough. This pair is likewise of superb quality, brilliantly engraved. One bears the seal of the Court Cour t of Common Pleas of George I, and the other the Seal of the Prince of Wales. Both were were made for Sir Robert Eyre, who of course held the offices of the Chief Justice Justice of the Court of Common Pleas Pleas and Chancellor Chancellor to the Prince of Wales. ales. The quality of the engraving engraving places them in the first rank of engraved silver from this period, and the condition and weight of the objects themselves, themselves, quite aside from their histor y, makes them among the finest lots we have handled from this period. T hey were sold out of the Eyre family in 1965, fetching a trifling trifl ing $18,200 at Sotheby’s Sotheby’s in London.
Ambassadorial Old Sheffield Plate Knife Tray Length: 21 #” The ar ms are for Charles Stewart (1778-1854), 3rd Marquess of Londonderry Londonderr y, an important soldier and politician during the Napoleonic Wars. Charles was appointed aide-de-camp to King George III in 1803 and four years later became Under Secretary of State for War War and the Colonies. In April 1809 he was made Adjutant General to the Duke of Wellington and distinguished himself as a cavalry officer in the battles of Benavente, Busaco and Talavera. Talavera. In recognition, he was made a Knight of the Bath as well as Envoy Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Berlin. As if that wasn’t wasn’t enough, in 1814 be was ennobled as Baron Stewart, admitted to the Privy Council, and appointed a Lord of the Bedchamber. He was also made Ambassador to Vienna, and was at the Congress of Vienna with his half brother Lord Castlereagh as one of the British plenipotentiaries. He was was made Colonel of the 10th Regiment of Dragoons in 1820. Did you think a man like Charles Stewart would be satisfied with these lauds? No: following the death of his half-brother in 1822 1822 he became 3rd Marquess of Londonderry Londonderr y and soon thereafter adopted the surname of Vane-Tempest. Vane-Tempest. The present piece is not dated, but must have been made after Lord Stewart became colonel of The Prince of Wales Hussars in 1820, because because the cavalrymen that appear on either side of the coat of arms are specifically members of the Prince’s Prince’s unit. Charles adopted these for his own coat of arms: they are not the usual supporters of the Stewart arms. In addition, the piece must have been made while Lord Stewart was still a Baron, before he succeeded his brother as Marquess in 1822, because the arms include a Baron’s coronet. So this piece must date between 1820 and 1822, while Lord Stewart was an Ambassador in Vienna. Their use as Ambassadorial plate is confirmed by the the presence of the Royal Royal arms of King George III. III.
Royal Charles II Porringer & Stand London, 1679 By Isaac Dighton
Height: 4 !”, Diameter: 11 "” Weight: 43 oz. 10 dwt.
A mar velous royal history accompanies this quite beautiful object. Its owner was the favorite favorite (but illegitimate) son of King Charles II. Named James Scott, he became Duke of Monmouth and a Knight of the Garter.
A grasshopper and a fly f ly,, In summer hot and dry, In eager argument were met About priority.
Charles II was succeeded by his brother, the unpopular Catholic James II. The Duke, sensing opportunity, led the Monmouth Rebellion to depose James II. His army, however, consisted of untrained and ill-equipped merchants and artisans. Outnumbered, they suffered final defeat at the Battle of Sedgemoor. Monmouth attempted to escape but was captured, brought to London, and in a grisly scene, beheaded. Accounts differ as to how many blows of the axe were required; it seems to have been between five and eight. A knife may have been necessary in the end.
Says the fly to the grasshopper: “From mighty race I spring, Bright Phoebus was my dad ’tis known, And I eat and drink with a king.”
An unknown author composed the following poem (later set to music by Henry Purcell) about Monmouth:
Says the grasshopper to the fly: “Such rogues are still preferr’d; Your Your father might be of high degree, But your mother was but a turd.” So, rebel Jemmy Scott, That did to the empire soar, His father might be the Lord knows what, But his mother we knew a whore.
George Washington’s Tea Table at Newburgh This tea table is the last known remnant of a collection of mahogany furniture used by General George Washington between April 1782 and August 1783 at the Hasbrouck House, his headquarters and residence in Newburgh, New York, Yor k, du ri ng the th e cr itic it ical al clos cl osin ingg chap ch apte terr of the th e Revolutionary War. After the war it was given to John Cochran, surgeon general of the army. army. In 1864 this history was documented in the inset silver plaque commissioned by Cochran’s Cochran’s grandson, John Cochrane: GENERAL WASHINGTON'S WASHINGTON'S TEA TABLE This table belonged to General Washington, and was used by him in
disbanded, he gave his campaign furniture to his friend Doctor John Cochran, surgeon and Director General of the Army Hospitals at the Northern Department. This table alone is left in the possession of the General John Cochrane, the doctor’s eldest grandson, New York, January, 1864. 1864.
We We discovered the table in an auction showroom where the plaque had been miscatalogued as silver plate (it is sterling) and unmarked (the affixing washer, we discovered, bears the mark of silversmith William Gale). Because silver plate barely existed in England, and not at all in America, in 1864, the auctioneers and their clients had dismissed (cont.)
the story on the plaque as fanciful, exaggerated, or untrue. But when we learned of an extensive correspondence between John Cochran and George Washington, we began to began to feel it was probably true. Countless hours later of archival and genealogical digging, we found the evidence we had hardly dared dar ed to think might exist: a record, from a member of the extended Cochrane family, family, confirming confirmi ng the transfer of Washington’s ashington’s furniture
from the Hasbrouck House to Cochran after the war. This corroboration, in addition to a convincing line of descent from Cochran to the last owner, and analysis by several American furniture experts of the table’s table’s condition, materials, and manufacture, has led to the conclusion that our little tea table was indeed used by General Washington in Newburgh for some 16 months.
When General Washington left his headquarters and Newburgh, in August, 1783, he presented the furniture of the house to Dr. Cochran. Time has dispersed dispersed much of it, but several pieces still remain in our possession. What tales they could tell!
I will mention to you that I think Doctors Cochrane and Craik...have the strictest claim to their Country’s notice...I have the highest highest opinion opinion of them.
Godchild of Washington ashington —Katharine Schuyler Baxter, Godchild
—George Washington Washington
Boston Abolitionist Cup Circa 1855, by Harris & Stanwood Height: 5 !” Weight: 6 oz. Isaac O. Barnes (b. 1798) served as Boston’s customs officer and later the U.S. Marshall for Massachusetts. An abolitionist, Barnes was described in the Springfield Republican as having worked to undermine the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 by conspiring with agents of the Underground Railroad to protect the safety of r unaways. unaways. (“The Underground Railroad and Those Who Operated It”, March 11, 1900) In 1853 Barnes was separately presented with a silver pitcher (now at the National Museum of American History) by the foreign-born population of Boston in recognition recognition of his assistance assistance with the immigration immigration of the Irish.
Four George II Candlesticks London, 1756, by Edward Wakelin Wakelin Height: 11” Weight: 135 oz. No fancy story behind these candlesticks—they are simply excellent, elegant pieces originally owned by a renowned and successful gentleman, Daniel Finch. Finch (1689-1769), (1689-1769), 8th Earl of Winchelsea and 3rd Earl of Nottingham, was elected a Member of Parliament at 21. He moved to the House of Lords on succeeding to the Earldom in 1730. He served as Comptroller of the royal household from 1725-30 and First Lord of the Admiralty from 1742-4. He was was made a Knight of the Garter in 1752, and was one of the founders and governors of London’s London’s Foundling Hospital.
Pair of George II Candlesticks London, 1746, by George Wickes Height: 11 !” Weight: 83 oz. 13 dwt. Among the most ambitious rococo candlesticks, this pair was part of the famous service made by George Wickes for the Earl of Kildare, who became the Duke of Leinster. On July 5, 2012, 2012, the service was sold at Christie’s—without these candlesticks—for £1,721,250. These appeared on the cover of our last digital catalog. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity o pportunity to peruse the ledgers in London (pictured on following page) where Wickes recorded the various components of the Leinster service. The ledgers record a set of eight candlesticks made as part of the original service, which together weigh just about four times what our pair weighs. By contrast, the four candlesticks sold as part of the service ser vice in 2012 are substantially lighter. They were also made in 1748, two years after the rest of the service. Therefore it appears ap pears that this pair pai r is among eight candlesticks that were originally part of the Leinster Ser vice, while the four sticks now accompanying the service were later additions. (cont.)
James FitzGerald (below) succeeded his father as Earl of Kildare in 1744. He served as Member of Parliament Parliament;; a member of the Irish Privy Council; later Lord Deputy De puty,, Master General of the Ordinance; and finally was created Duke of Leinster at a time when there were no other Irish dukes. Provenance: James FitzGerald, 20th Earl of Kildare, later 1st Duke of Leinster (1722-1773) by descent to Edward, 7th 7th Duke of Leinster (1892-1976) presumably sold in January 1918 as part of his inheritance to Sir Harry Mallaby-Deeley (1863-1937), property magnate.
Set of Twelve Twelve Dinner Plates London, 1818, by Paul Storr Diameter: 10 #” Weight: 313 oz. 14 dwt. The initials and coronet on these superb and heavy plates are for Harriet, Duchess of St. Albans. The Duchess, Duchess, (1777-1837; portrait detail to right by William Beechey) was famous as a child actress, born into a traveling theatre troupe. She would become the wealthiest widow in England on the death of her first husband, a successful banker. Her second husband was William Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St. Albans. In a letter to Sir Walter Scott, in reply to his congratulations on this marriage, Harriet wrote: “What a strange eventful life has mine been, from a poor little player child, with just food and clothes to cover me, dependent on a very precarious profession, without talent or a friend in the world – first the wife of the best, the most perfect being that ever breathed...and now the wife of a Duke! You You must write my life...my true histor y written by the author of Waverley.” averley.”
Elizabethan Lion Sejant Spoon London, 1592, by William Caldwell Length: 6 !”, Weight: 1 oz. 4 dwt. We We don’t know the name of this spoon’s original owner, nor its maker, nor anyone else associated with its early history. Nevertheless, it has a curious story: it was excavated in modern times from the kitchen gully at Sandgate Castle after presumably centuries of burial. The surface surface of the spoon bears the marks of this long subterranean term, with visible pocking in the surface caused by silty earth. We can only speculate as to how the piece ended up in the ground—whether a careless accident, or perhaps an attempt at concealment and theft gone wrong. At the time the spoon was made, Sandgate maintaine maintained d a garrison of about twenty men with seven cannons.
On the back cover:
Cartier Gold Lighter New York, circa 1930 Length: 5 "” 14k gold The recent Christie’s sale of the collection of David and Peggy Rockefeller Rockefeller has brought to public attention the great collecting ambition of that famous family. family. This oversized lighter by Cartier belonged to Winthrop W. Aldrich and bears his monogram. His sister Abby married John D. Rockefeller, Rockefeller, Jr., making Winthrop Winthr op uncle to the five Rockefeller Rockefeller brothers. To To put the semaphore alphabet on this piece in context: Aldrich was a Navy man, m an, a lieutenant who served on the USS Niagara and the USS New Orleans during World War I. Not just any rank-and-file sailor, however, however, Aldrich actually commissioned and funded the construction of a patrol boat which he leased to the Navy during the war. He kept up his maritime interests after the war: in 1930 he was the navigator in the successful su ccessful defense of the America’s Cup race abroad Howard Vanderbilt’s Vanderbilt’s J-Class yacht “Enterprise”. He was elected Commodore Commodo re of the New York Yacht Yacht Club the following year.
