Debuted at the 1904 World’s Fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, in St. Louis, this writing table and chair were designed to be showstoppers in a crowd of stunning objects. More than 10,000 hours of labor, 75 pounds of silver, and a panoply of materials make up this unique set, which deftly melds sinuous European Art Nouveau floral and figural motifs, French Rococo forms from the 1700s, and traditional Hispano-Moresque designs. Intricately wrought symbolism is found in the daytime poppies and the night owl below the mirror and the decoration of the legs, each representing one of the four seasons, with female masks surrounded by lilies, roses, chrysanthemums, and pine cones. The table and chair won the fair’s grand prize in silversmithing. The Gorham Manufacturing Company was an inimitable force in the city of Providence, RI, and around the globe, boldly growing into the largest silver company in the world. Gorham created some of the most exceptional works ever made in silver, forever changing the landscape of American decorative arts. The company also profoundly changed Rhode Island by training and employing generations of highly skilled workers and, like many local industries, leaving behind a complicated legacy.