The collection of Stanley-Whitman House focuses on the social history and material culture of 17th-19th-century Farmington. More than 5,000 items of furniture, decorative arts objects, costumes, tools and functional items offer researchers an opportunity to study the material culture of a small New England town. Use of the collection is available by scheduled appointment only. |
Collection Highlight
Silver Spoons Made by Martin Bull of Farmington
Martin Bull (1744-1825), Farmington goldsmith, operated his business from about 1765 until his death. He did a brisk trade in spoons and buttons, as well as other small objects such as cane heads, shoe buckles and tankards. Bull's maker's mark is a simple "MB."
Bull was a typical New England smalltown goldsmith (the term used for both silver- and goldsmiths), doing a variety of jobs to supplement his income as a smith. While goldsmiths in cities such as New York, Boston, Newport and New Haven could maintain an inventory of objects to sell, smalltown smiths like Bull made objects as their customers placed their orders. In addition to his smithing, Bull engraved plates for printing, made salt-petre, conducted music, and held a number of town offices.
A lifelong resident of Farmington, Bull was a descendant of Deacon Thomas Bull, an original proprietor of Hartford and Farmington. The Bull family lived on th east side of Colton Street in the village of Farmington, on land now preserved as the "Bull Lot" by the Farmington Land Trust.
For more information about Connecticut silversmiths: Early Connecticut Silver, 1700-1840 by Peter Bohan and Philip Hammerslough, Wesleyan University Press, 1970. |
