Dominic & Haff

Dominick & Haff were born out of the company William Gale & Son who were founded in 1821. In 1860 their name changed to Gale & North and then, when Henry Blanchard Dominick joined as a 21 year old in 1868, they became Gale, North & Dominick. In 1870, three years after Leroy B. Haff joined their retail department as a bookkeeper, he was made a partner with the name changing once more to Gale, Dominick & Haff. In 1872, their name was reduced to Dominick & Haff, and they are listed at 451 Broome Street, New York. In 1875 they moved to the Waltham building at 1,3 & 5 Bond Street but 2 years later the building was destroyed by fire. Whilst they waited for it to be rebuilt, they carried on their business at 7 & 9 Bond Street. In 1884 they relocated to 860 Broadway. In 1893 Haff died aged 52 of pleurisy. Dominick continued the business until his death in 1928 when it was bought by Reed & Barton.

When the company first started, they built a reputation for the quality of the smaller items they concentrated on such as chatelaines and vinaigrettes etc. Larger items such as centre pieces, tea sets and kettles followed along with pots, mirrors, mugs and numerous patterns of flatware. They kept their eye on the fashion and events of the day taking inspiration from the interest in the Aesthetic Movement, Japanese design, classical Greece and the Rococo Revival etc. For ... show more

Dominick & Haff were born out of the company William Gale & Son who were founded in 1821. In 1860 their name changed to Gale & North and then, when Henry Blanchard Dominick joined as a 21 year old in 1868, they became Gale, North & Dominick. In 1870, three years after Leroy B. Haff joined their retail department as a bookkeeper, he was made a partner with the name changing once more to Gale, Dominick & Haff. In 1872, their name was reduced to Dominick & Haff, and they are listed at 451 Broome Street, New York. In 1875 they moved to the Waltham building at 1,3 & 5 Bond Street but 2 years later the building was destroyed by fire. Whilst they waited for it to be rebuilt, they carried on their business at 7 & 9 Bond Street. In 1884 they relocated to 860 Broadway. In 1893 Haff died aged 52 of pleurisy. Dominick continued the business until his death in 1928 when it was bought by Reed & Barton.

When the company first started, they built a reputation for the quality of the smaller items they concentrated on such as chatelaines and vinaigrettes etc. Larger items such as centre pieces, tea sets and kettles followed along with pots, mirrors, mugs and numerous patterns of flatware. They kept their eye on the fashion and events of the day taking inspiration from the interest in the Aesthetic Movement, Japanese design, classical Greece and the Rococo Revival etc. For

example The Met has a Wine Pot by Dominick & Haff which follows the shape of a Greek askos and Cooper Hewitt have several items decorated with a clear Japanese influence. Gilbert L. Crowell Jr. was one of their main designers and various patents for the company were assigned under his name. A number of recognised shops across America retailed their wares. These included Black, Starr and Frost of New York, JE Caldwell of Philadelphia, Giles Bros. & Co. of Chicago, Hardy & Hayes Co. of Pittsburgh and Shreve, Crump & Low of Boston.

Dominick & Haff's work is recognized by many institutions for their importance in the history of American silver. They are represented in a number of museums including Cooper Hewitt, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum and the British Museum. The technical skill of their repoussé and chasing work was high as was the quality of their design.