Name/Title
Dinnerware, Alfred MeakinEntry/Object ID
2013.2.1Description
Semi-porcelain dinnerware set owned by Willimantic Mayor Oscar O. Tanner. Tanner was born 4 April 1858 and died 29 March 1933. He was mayor of the City of Willimantic 1898-1900 and 1904-1906. Tanner led the return to power in Willimantic of the Democratic party, which had been in the minority in Willimantic and Windham since before the Civil War. A saloon owner and boxing promoter, Tanner developed allies within Willimantic's immigrant communities, especially among Irish Americans. His protege and successor as mayor was Daniel (Danny) Dunn, Willimantic's first Irish American mayor. The dinnerware set was donated to the Mill Museum by Susan Humes of Willimantic, a relative of Tanner's Irish American housekeepers, Mary and Ellen Day. Tanner had left the set to one or both of the Day sisters, from whom it was passed along to the donor. It is not known when or how Tanner acquired the dinnerware, but a good guess would be that he bought through a mail order catalog sometime in the early 20th century, when he would have wanted to be able to entertain political allies and community leaders. The manufacturer's mark on the dinnerware was first used in the late 1890s, but was continued for many years afterwards.
1 large tureen with ladle
2 smaller tureens
8 bone plates
8 dessert plates
8 small plates
8 medium plates
8 large plates
8 small oval serving bowls
1 larger oval serving bowl
8 soup bowls
3 cereal bowls
1 small bowl
9 small saucers
7 medium saucers
8 large saucers
9 small teacups
1 medium teacups
1 large teacup
1 round serving bowl
1 round serving bowl
1 round lid
7 platters of different sizes
1 gravy boat
1 creamer
1 pitcher
1 sugar bowl
Oscar Olney Tanner was born in Willimantic in 1858, the son of Oscar Fitzallyn Tanner (1833-1858) and Nancy Catherine Gavitt (or Gavit) Tanner (1836-?). His father died only a few months after he was born. Oscar F. Tanner was the son of Warren W. (b. 1798) and Almira (Jenks) (b. 1798) Tanner -- although Warren, Almira, and Oscar F. had all been born in Rhode Island, they lived in Willimantic in the 1850s. On 2 October 1857, Oscar F. Tanner married Nancy Catherine Gavitt in Willimantic. Nancy was the daughter of John (b. 1796) and Elizabeth (b. 1801) Gavitt. The Gavitt family, too, was from Rhode Island, but also lived in Willimantic in the 1850s. In 1860, Warren W. Tanner owned a stable in Willimantic valued at $1,500, and also owned personal estate valued at $8,000, a substantial sum at the time. Nancy's parents were less affluent. In 1860, the two-year-old Oscar O. Tanner lived in Willimantic with his widowed mother, grandparents, and aunts. Nancy was employed as a factory operative, as were her sisters Mary and Lydia. In 1870, Oscar O. Tanner lived in Willimantic with his aunt Adeline (his father's sister) and her husband Abell E. Brooks. Brooks owned a Willimantic saloon valued at $25,000. Nancy had disappeared from the historical record. In 1880, the 22-year-old Tanner was still living with his Aunt Adeline, who appears to have been widowed. Tanner was working as a grocery clerk. Also living in the household was a 19-year-old Irish domestic servant, Mary Day, probably the same Mary Day that was Tanner's housekeeper when he died in 1933. Tanner never married or had children. Various documents indicate that he dabbled in real estate owned a saloon, lived for a while in Boston (where he was the manager of a factory and joined the Masons), and retired to a spacious home on the outskirts of Willimantic. In 1900, according to his passport, he was 5' 9 3/4" with brown eyes and brown and gray hair. The 1930 census shows him living at 1703 West Main Street in a house valued at $3,000. Living with him were Mary and Ellen Day, aged 64 and 46, both born in Ireland and native speakers of Gaelic, his housekeepers. Colorful and somewhat mysterious, Tanner was a key figure in the modernization of Willimantic around the turn of the century.
Alfred Meakin, the brother of James and George Meakin, founded Alfred Meakin, Ltd. in England in 1875. He utilized the Royal Albert Pottery, Victoria Pottery (built 1858), and Highlands Pottery located on Parsonage Street in Tunstall. When Alfred Meakin died in 1904, he was succeeded by his son, Alfred James Meakin. Alfred James died four years later. Meakin marketed its wares abroad, especially in the United States utilizing the mail order catalogs of several large companies. Robert Johnson, Alfred John’s uncle, acquired Alfred Meakin, Ltd. for his son James. The firm remained in the Johnson family until 1976. The firm made ironstone and semi-porcelain dinnerware, tea wares, and toilet wares.Use
Dinnerware, used by former Willimantic Mayor Oscar Olney TannerContext
Tanner would have likely used the dinnerware when entertaining political allies and community leaders. The first Democrat to be elected mayor since before the Civil War, Tanner and his protege and successor Daniel (Danny) Dunn led the transition to an new political era in Willimantic politics characterized by a two-party system, the rise to political maturity and prominence of members of Willimantic's immigrant communities, and the modernization of the city through construction of sewers and public water.Collection
Humes CollectionMade/Created
Manufacturer
Alfred Meakin Ltd.Date made
circa 1900 - circa 1920Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
Country
EnglandContinent
EuropeInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Manufacturer's markLanguage
EnglishLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
Plate, FoodNomenclature Primary Object Term
Dish, EatingNomenclature Sub-Class
Eating VesselsNomenclature Class
Food Service T&ENomenclature Category
Category 04: Tools & Equipment for MaterialsLocation
Location
Exhibit Room
China Cabinet, Mill Manager's Dining Room Exhibit* Untyped Location
Main Museum BuildingCategory
ExhibitDate
May 3, 2023Provenance
Provenance Detail
Tanner, Oscar OlneyExhibition
Mill Manager's House ExhibitCreated By
historian@millmuseum.orgCreate Date
May 3, 2023Updated By
historian@millmuseum.orgUpdate Date
April 26, 2025
