Ink blotters like this served a straightforward but necessary desk function before blotting paper technology improved, pressed over freshly written ink to absorb the excess before it smudged. This one is worked in sterling silver by Gorham, embossed with scrollwork in an Art Nouveau style, an early example of the aesthetic finding its way into American decorative silver ahead of the movement's more widely recognised peak.
The original paper blotter survives with the piece, a detail that's easy to lose or replace over more than a century of use, and its presence here keeps the object functional rather than purely decorative. Gorham was among the most significant American silver manufacturers of the period, producing work that held its own against established English and Continental firms rather than simply imitating them.
Condition notes
Good antique condition. Small dent on handle and the original paper is coming off.
