Sidney Gardiner (July 23, 1787 - May 1827) was an American

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exact synonyms, as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely the same but differed in that t ...

and merchant, active in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. His firm of Fletcher & Gardiner was nationally renowned. Fletcher was born in

Mattituck, New York Mattituck is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 4,584 in 2023 according to the World Population Review. Located in the Town of Southold, Mattituck CDP roughly corresponds t ...

. He migrated to Boston, where his family had long-standing connections. In 1803 he and Thomas Fletcher, then in their teens, formed a partnership that comprised silversmithing and selling fancy hardware at 43 Marlboro Street. In 1811 their firm of Fletcher & Gardiner moved to

, with a shop at Third and Chestnut Street, where Gardiner worked until his death while traveling in

Vera Cruz, Mexico Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

. In 1824 he was a founding member of the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and a center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and wikt:statesman, statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin ...

. Silver by Fletcher & Gardiner is collected in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, the

Harvard Art Museums The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

Winterthur Museum Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home of Henry Francis du Pont ...

, and

Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University. Although it embraces all cultures and period ...

. His papers are archived in the Winterthur Museum.

References

"Sidney Gardiner"
American Silversmiths. * ''Silversmiths to The Nation: Thomas Fletcher & Sidney Gardiner, 1808-1842'', Donald L. Fennimore & Ann K. Wagner, Antique Collectors' Club, 2007.
"Fletcher & Gardiner"
The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardiner, Sidney American silversmiths 1787 births 1827 deaths