Middletown’s Silver Industries
A photographic history with cited opening dates, collection history and individually credited images. Historic views, later photographs and illustrations are dated separately. This is a selected collection, not an exhaustive inventory.

id: SGC103-S1
title: History of Middlesex County, 1884
url: https://www.cga.ct.gov/hco/books/History_of_Middlesex_County.pdf
summary: The historical account dates Edward Payne’s plated-ware business to 1863 and describes its product range.
kind: Historical sources
date: Source dates described in record
credit: History of Middlesex County, 1884
notes: Linked source. Photographs and documents at the publisher retain their individual rights.
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institution: Middletown’s Silver Industries
accessed: 2026-09-24
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id: SGC103-S2
title: Design Meriden: Middletown Plate Company source index
url: https://www.artdesigncafe.com/middletown-plate-company-design-catalogues
summary: Links period catalogs and advertisements and distinguishes Middletown Plate Company from the later Middletown Silver Company.
kind: Historical sources
date: Source dates described in record
credit: Design Meriden: Middletown Plate Company source index
notes: Linked source. Photographs and documents at the publisher retain their individual rights.
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institution: Middletown’s Silver Industries
accessed: 2026-09-24
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id: SGC103-S3
title: SFO Museum: Eclectic Taste, Victorian Silver Plate
url: https://www.sfomuseum.org/exhibitions/eclectic-taste-victorian-silver-plate/gallery
summary: Museum object photographs identify makers including Middletown Plate Company and Meriden firms.
kind: Historical sources
date: Source dates described in record
credit: SFO Museum: Eclectic Taste, Victorian Silver Plate
notes: Linked source. Photographs and documents at the publisher retain their individual rights.
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institution: Middletown’s Silver Industries
accessed: 2026-09-24
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id: PHOTO-middletown-punch
title: A Middletown punch service at the Centennial
kind: Illustrations
date: Published 1876
institution: Middletown’s Silver Industries
summary: A sculptural punch bowl, ladle and matching cups show how silverplate became a centerpiece for celebration. This period engraving credits Middletown Plate Co.; it is an illustration published for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, not a photograph.
url: https://www.artdesigncafe.com/middletown-plate-company-design-catalogues
credit: Souvenir of the Centennial Exhibition (1876), p. 108; public-domain illustration; digital reproduction credited to Design Meriden / art design café.
notes: Public-domain historical image reproduced from the linked source. Original caption and attribution retained; no historical detail has been reconstructed. Hosted by Silent Grounds Collective. SHA-256 of uploaded source: 7f6f7128426c89c1cbec5809846c96c718f2a14c003af04aca5ee6ecdbc80f3f.
file: https://silentgroundscollective-uyjaw.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/middletown-punch.jpg
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accessed: 2026-09-24
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id: SGC-PHOTO-LINK-010
title: Victorian silverplate in the SFO Museum collection
kind: Photograph collections
date: Dates stated by source
institution: Middletown’s Silver Industries
summary: Browse the museum’s object photography and individual maker labels. The exhibition places Connecticut silverplate within the wider Victorian table.
url: https://www.sfomuseum.org/exhibitions/eclectic-taste-victorian-silver-plate/gallery
credit: SFO Museum
notes: Linked photo collection. Copyright and reuse terms remain with the photographer or publisher. Images have not been copied into this archive.
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accessed: 2026-09-24
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