TABLE OF CONTENTS
Collection Summary
Administrative History
Scope and Content
Organization of the Collection
Index Terms
Administrative Information
Contact Information
Series Level Descriptions
1 - Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver.
2 - Henry Birks and Sons Miscellaneous: 1931. 1937, 1966-1998; predominant 1985-1992.
3 - Henry Birks Silver Factory: ca. 1900-ca. 1915.
Box List
SERIES
1 - Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver
SERIES
2 - Henry Birks and Sons Miscellaneous
SERIES
3 - Henry Birks Silver Factory
|
Henry Birks and Sons fonds:
Finding Aid
|
|
|
Collection Summary
|
|
Title: |
Henry Birks and Sons fonds. |
|
Dates: |
– 1792, 1837, 1887, 1900-1998. |
|
Quantity: |
– 68 cm of textual records and other material. |
Henry Birks was born in Montreal in 1840, the son of John Birks and Anne Birks (née Massey), who emigrated from England to Canada in 1832. Henry Birks began his career in 1857 as a clerk at Savage and Lyman, a prominent Montreal clockmaker and jeweller. He eventually became a partner in the firm but a downturn in the company's fortunes in the late 1870s led Birks to open his own jewellery store on St. James Street, the heart of Montreal's financial and commercial district. In 1893 Birks reorganized the company to include his three sons, William Massey (1868-1950), John Henry Mecalfe (1870-1949), and Gerald Walker (1872-1950), and later in the year relocated to Phillips Square. Coinciding with the restructuring of Birks was a more aggressive business strategy. In 1898 Birks and Sons acquired Hendery and Leslie, Silversmiths and Electro Platers, along with its designs, equipment, and staff, and three years later began opening stores in other major Canadian cites, including Ottawa in 1901 and Winnipeg in 1903.
In 1936 Henry Gifford Birks (1892-1985), the eldest son of William Massey Birks, began to collect examples of marks used on sterling silver articles produced before 1899 by the predecessors of the Birks silver factory, including Hendery and Leslie. In the course of his research, Birks became concerned that the supply of early Canadian sterling silverware produced by master craftsmen was disappearing and he began collecting outstanding examples, including numerous pieces by artisans of New France. In time, what was known as the Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver became the most comprehensive collection of antique Canadian silver in existence. It included ecclesiastical and domestic pieces, flatware and holloware, created by exceptional Canadian silver craftsmen from the early 18th century to the present. As the collection grew, parts were loaned to museums in Canada and abroad and to select non-profit institutions for exhibition and education purposes. In 1979 the Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver, comprising approximately 12,000 objects, was donated to the National Gallery of Canada in celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the founding of Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. In 1993, Henry Birks and Sons was acquired by the Italian company, Borgosesia SpA.
Return to the Table of Contents
Scope and Content
The fonds originally consisted of research materials, including correspondence and photographs, related to the Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver. A second accrual was donated in 2006 by Frances Gilsenan, the wife of Owen Gilsenan, an employee at Henry Birks and Sons from 1971 to 1992. Included in this accrual are miscellaneous items gathered during Owen Gilsenan's time at Birks. A third accrual, consisting of nine drawings from the Birks silver factory, was donated by Frances Gilsenan in 2008.
Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of fonds.
Immediate source of acquisition: The initial donation consisting of items from the Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver was made by Henry Birks and Sons Limited in 1979. The second and third accruals were donated to the National Gallery of
Canada Library and Archives by Frances Gilsenan in 2006 and 2008.
Physical description: Other material includes 1087 b&w photographs, 3 colour photographs, 2 colour slides, and 9 drawings.
Language: Text is mainly in English. Some items are in French.
Finding aids: Series level descriptions and box list available.
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents
|
|
|
Index Terms
|
|
|
|
Names: |
| | Amiot, Laurent, 1764-1839 |
| | Birks, Henry, 1840-1928 |
| | Birks, Henry G., 1892-1985 |
| | Hendery, Robert, 1814-1897 |
| | Langdon, John Emerson, 1902-1981 |
| | Leslie, John, 1848-1895 |
|
Document Types: |
|
|
Correspondence. |
|
|
Drawings. |
|
|
Photographs. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
[Title of item], Henry Birks and Sons fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.
Return to the Table of Contents
Contact Information
Reference Services
Library and Archives
National Gallery of Canada
380 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 9N4
T 613-714-6000 ext. 6323
[email protected]
Return to the Table of Contents
Series Level Descriptions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver. – 1920-1976. – 47 cm of textual records and other material.
|
|
Series consists of five notebooks identifying silversmiths and their marks. Almost all of the marks listed in these notebooks are illustrated by a small black and white photograph. There is also a notebook listing Indian Trade Silver; a notebook identified by Henry Gifford Birks as "Unknown American Australia Foreign Articles Lists, Notes, and Marks"; and a record book kept by Birks divided according to type of silver: Crosses, Holy Water Stoups, Burrettes, Trays, Censers, Chalies, Ciborium, Ecuelles, Monstrances, Navettes, Pax, Pyx, St. Huiles, and Soup Ladles. Each division in this book contains a chart with columns labelled: Accession Number, Year, Maker, Size, Price, Source, and Remarks. Entries date from 1939 to 1977. Near the end is a list of silversmiths and their marks. Also part of the series is a postcard addressed to Robert Hendery, Montreal, from 1887; a letter in French signed by Jean Amiot, Quebec; a receipt from Laurent Amiot (1764-1839) with a pencil drawing of a silver ciborium on the verso; and a pamphlet regarding the partnership of Robert Hendery (1814-1897) and John Leslie (1848-1895), of Hendery and Leslie Silversmiths. On the verso of the pamphlet are notes written in pencil by Birks: "Partnership July 4th 1887 - Partnership dissolved Dec. 17, 1895 - Taken over by Henry Birks and Sons, March 1st 1898." The series also includes two sets of correspondence. The first set is comprised of incoming and outgoing correspondence with various collectors and others. Included in this group are several letters to and from John E. Langdon, a leading Canadian expert on silver. The second set consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence with museums, galleries, and private individuals regarding loans of silver items from the Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver.
|
|
Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of series. |
|
Physical description: Photographs include 1078 b&w photographs, 1 colour photograph, and 2 colour slides. |
|
Language: Text is mainly in English. A few items are in French. |
|
Finding aids: Box list available. |
See Box List for this Series
Return to the Table of Contents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Henry Birks and Sons Miscellaneous. – 1931, 1937, 1966-1998; predominant 1985-1992. – 21 cm of textual records and 11 photographs : multiple processes.
|
|
Series consists of miscellaneous materials collected by Owen Gilsenan, an employee of Henry Birks and Sons from 1971 to 1992. Included is an address book kept by Owen Gilsenan during the time he was responsible for product design, marketing and sales for Birks under the title "National Buyer Flatware & Holloware". Also included are photocopied technical manuals, a book listing Birks silver factory employees, product and price lists, and miscellaneous correspondence. |
|
Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of series. |
|
Physical description: Photographs include 9 b&w photographs and 2 colour photographs. |
|
Language: Text is mainly in English. |
|
Finding aids: Box list available. |
See Box List for this Series
Return to the Table of Contents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Henry Birks Silver Factory– ca. 1900-ca.1915. – 9 drawings.
|
|
Series consists of nine presentation drawings from the Birks silver factory. Eight of the drawings are on wove paper and one drawing is on illustration board. Included among the drawings are designs for cups, utensils, and trophies. One drawing shows a design for a Chain of Office for the Mayor of Pointe-Claire, Québec, with the dates 1713 (parish established in the name of St. Francis of Sales) and 1911 (Pointe-Claire incorporated as a town with a mayor and council) on the chain and the attached medallion.
|
|
Source of supplied title proper: Title based on contents of series. |
|
Finding aids: Box list available. |
See Box List for this Series
Return to the Table of Contents
Detailed Description of the Collection
Box List
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Series 1 - Henry Birks Collection of Canadian Silver
|
| Box |
Folder |
| Box 1 |
File 1 |
Record Book of Silver |
|
File 2 |
Unknown American Australia Foreign Articles List, Notes, Marks |
|
File 3 |
Indian Trade Silver - Tome 1 |
|
File 4 |
Dwight & Savage, Montreal 1818-1819, A/D |
|
File 5 |
Dwight & Savage, Montreal 1818-1819, E/L *note: file contains 280 thumbnail photographs |
|
File 6 |
Dwight & Savage, Montreal 1818-1819, M/P *note: file contains 280 thumbnail photographs |
|
File 7 |
Dwight & Savage, Montreal 1818-1819, R/Z *note: file contains 315 thumbnail photographs |
|
File 8 |
Original documents *note: a pencil drawing by Laurent Amiot on the verso of a receipt showing a silver ciborium has been moved to Box 7 |
| Box | Folder |
| Box 2 | File 1 | Birks Collection - Photographs - Thomson & Langdon *note: file contains 102 b&w photographs |
| File 2 | Birks Collection - Henry Birks and Sons Ltd. (notes related to the history of Birks and Sons and its predecessors) *note: file contains 4 b&w photographs |
| File 3 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1977 |
| File 4 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1976 |
| File 5 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1975 |
| File 6 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1974 |
| File 7 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1973 *note: file contains 15 b&w photographs |
| File 8 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1971 |
| File 9 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1970 *note: file contains 9 b&w photographs |
| File 10 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1969 *note: file contains 4 b&w photographs |
| File 11 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1968 *note: file contains 22 b&w photographs |
| File 12 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1967 *note: file contains 12 b&w photographs, 1 colour photograph, and 1 pin commemorating the golden anniversary of Henry G. and Lilian Birks |
| File 13 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1966 *note: file contains 8 b&w photographs |
|
File 8 |
| Box | Folder |
| Box 3 | File 1 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1965 |
| File 2 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1964 |
| File 3 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1962 |
| File 4 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1961 |
| File 5 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1959 *note: file contains 49 b&w photographs of silver marks |
| File 6 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1958 |
| File 7 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1957 |
| File 8 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1956 *note: file contains1 b&w photograph |
| File 9 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1955 *note: file contains 5 b&w photographs |
| File 10 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1954 |
| File 11 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1953 |
| File 12 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1952 *note: file contains 17 b&w photographs |
| File 13 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1951 |
| File 14 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1950 *note: file contains 3 b&w photographs |
| File 15 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1949 |
| File 16 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1948 |
| File 17 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1947 |
| File 18 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1941 |
| File 19 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1940 |
| File 20 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1939 |
| File 21 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1938 *note: file contains 1 b&w photograph |
| File 22 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1937 |
| File 23 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1936 |
| File 24 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1935 |
| File 25 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1932 |
| File 26 | Birks Collection - Correspondence 1920 |
| File 27 | Birks Collection - Publications: Miscellaneous (1931, 1944) |
| Box | Folder |
| Box 4 | File 1 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Morrisburg, Upper Canada Village (1964-1965, 1967) |
| File 2 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - London, Birks (1955, 1964) |
| File 3 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - London (UK), Royal Academy of Arts (1965) |
| File 4 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Montreal, Birks (1962, 1967, 1980) |
| File 5 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Ottawa, Birks (1963) |
| File 6 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Musée du Québec (1949-1954, 1964, 1967-1969, 1974) *note: file contains 9 b&w photograph |
| File 7 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - St. John, New Brunswick Museum (1956-1958, 1961-1964, 1969, 1973) *note: file contains 2 b&w photographs |
| File 8 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Brantford, Art Gallery of Brantford (1966, 1971) |
| File 9 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Don Mills, Pioneer Exhibition (1969) *note: file contains 1 b&w photograph |
| File 10 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Halifax, Birks (1969) |
| File 11 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Thunder Bay, Lakehead University (1966) |
| File 12 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Toronto, Timothy Eaton Memorial Church (n.d) |
| File 13 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Toronto, Wimadausis Club exhibitions (1961, 1966) *note: file contains 9 b&w photographs |
| File 14 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Toronto, York University (1978) |
| File 15 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Victoria, British Columbia Provincial Museum (1978) |
| File 16 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Windsor, Art Gallery of Windsor (1956, 1977) *note: file contains 1 b&w photograph and 2 colour slides |
| File 17 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Windsor, Birks (1963, 1974) |
| File 18 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Toronto, Hiram Walker Historical Museum (1960) *note: file contains 11 b&w photographs |
| File 19 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery (1976) |
| File 20 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Winterthur, Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum (1968) *note: file contains 1 b&w photograph |
| File 21 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Montreal, McCord Museum (1977) |
| File 22 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Ottawa, Public Archives of Canada (1976) |
| File 23 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - St. John's, Arts and Culture Centre (1971) |
| File 24 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Saskatoon, Mendel Art Gallery (1964-1972) *note: file contains 1 b&w photograph |
| File 25 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Montreal, Chateau de Ramezay (1955-1978) *note: file contains 5 b&w photographs |
| File 26 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Hamilton, Art Gallery of Hamilton (1954-1977) |
| File 27 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Ottawa, Government House (1977) |
| File 28 | Birks Collection - Loans Pre-1980 - Joliette, Musée de Joliette (1975-1977) |
Return to the Table of Contents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Series 2 - Henry Birks and Sons Miscellaneous
|
| Box |
Folder |
| Box 5 |
File 1 |
Miscellaneous typescripts related to silver *note: includes paper entitled Notes on Silver by Henry G. Birks |
|
File 2 |
A Guide to Old French Plate by Louis Carré *note: photocopy of book published in 1931 by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York |
|
File 3 |
Technical Manual - Verson Allsteel Press Company, Hydrostatic Forming Techniques |
|
File 4 |
Handy and Harman "Handy Book" *note: photocopy of a technical handbook for silversmiths and manufacturing jewelers |
|
File 5 |
Marketing Research Centre Limited, A Sterling Flatware Pattern Test, A Reseach Report Submitted to Henry Birks and Sons (Montreal) Limited, May 1986 |
|
File 6 |
Revision and Additions to the "Report on Plating Room Standard Practice" |
|
File 7 |
Henry Birks and Sons Limited, Statistics on Store Operations, Year Ended September 28, 1989 |
|
File 8 |
Marketing report |
|
File 9 |
Miscellaneous typescripts |
|
File 10 |
Miscellaneous articles |
| Box | Folder |
| Box 6 | File 1 | Silver factory employees |
| File 2 | Owen Gilsenan address book (ca. 1900) |
| File 3 | Product and price lists (1970, 1975) *note: file contains 9 b&w photographs |
| File 4 | Product and price lists - Miscellaneous, vol. 1 *note: file contains 2 colour photographs |
| File 5 | Product and price lists - Miscellaneous, vol. 2 |
| File 6 | Birks Basic Silver Stock (1992) |
| File 7 | Correspondence - Taishodo Co., Ltd., Japan (1980-1981) |
| File 8 | Correspondence - Miscellaneous (1986-1991) |
| File 9 | Appraisal by Owen Gilsenan - "A Replacement Evaluation of Presentation Trophies Belonging to the Royal Montreal Golf Club, 25 North Ridge Road, Ile Bizard, Quebec, June 1, 1998" *note: file contains two copies of Gilsenan's report |
Return to the Table of Contents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Series 3 - Henry Birks Silver Factory
|
| Box |
Folder |
| Box 7 |
Item 1 |
Untitled (silverware)
Graphite with white gouache highlights
Buff wove paper
27.2 x 38.0 cm
|
|
Item 2 |
Untitled (silver cups)
Graphite with white gouache highlights
Buff wove paper
27.2 x 36.0 cm |
|
Item 3 |
Untitled (football club emblem)
Gouache over graphite
Ivory illustration board (Superfine London Board)
42.5 x 39.0 cm |
|
Item 4 |
Untitled (silver trophy)
Pen and watercolour, pen and brown ink, watercolour wash, graphite
Ivory wove paper
56.5 x 39.0 |
|
Item 5 |
Untitled (silver bowl)
Watercolour and white gouache over graphite
Ivory wove paper
44.3 x 62.1 cm |
|
Item 6 |
Untitled (trophy)
Watercolour over graphite
Ivory wove paper
59.9 x 40.3 cm |
|
Item 7 |
Untitled (Chain of Office, Pointe-Claire, Québec)
Watercolour over graphite
Ivory wove paper
53.5 x 45.0 cm |
|
Item 8 |
Untitled (gold box)
Pen and brown ink, brush and coloured inks, watercolour and white gouache over graphite
Ivory wove paper
47.2 x 54.0 cm |
|
Item 9 |
Untitled (silver bowl)
Coloured wax crayons over graphite
Buff wove paper
38.1 x 58.8 cm |
Return to the Table of Contents
|