Tea Set, 1905
Tiffany & Co.
(American, begun 1837)
18-carat gold and silver-gilt
Gift of Warren Gilson M1994.358.1-18

George and Eleanor Widener were among the wealthiest couples in early twentieth-century Philadelphia. In 1905 they bought this 18-carat gold tea service made by Tiffany & Company, which features Mrs. Widener’s monogram. While gold is a soft metal that dents and scratches more easily than silver, this tea set symbolized the Wideners’ great wealth and refined tastes. Sadly, Mr. Widener and the couple’s oldest son died aboard the Titanic in 1912. Mrs. Widener survived and used some of her fortune to dedicate a library in her son’s honor at Harvard University.