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Photograph was edited for publication purposes Lewis A. Wise was the son-in-law of master silversmith, Porter Blanchard who had studios in Pacoima and Burbank and whose work is considered part of the Art and Crafts Movement prominent during the last half of the 1800's and into the 1930's. Blanchard specialized in holloware and flatware and had a shop in Hollywood, catering to many celebrity clients including Joan Crawford and Cecille B. DeMille. Wise learned the art of silversmithing from his father-in-law and took over the family business after Blanchard's death, later running the business as Porter Blanchard Silversmiths, and moving the studios to Calabasas where he continued the tradition set forth by his father-in-law and generations before him. Photograph article dated September 14, 1961 partially reads, "Silversmithing is a dying art, but Lewis A. Wise of Calabasas is holding on. In his combination shop-residence at 23957 Craftsmith Rd., Wise is carrying on a family tradition against the inroads of automation, atomic energy and mechanization. He's one of the few silversmiths left in the United States. 'My father-in-law taught me about silverware and I'm passing it on to the boys. Growing up with it is the only real way to learn it,' he said."
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;11 x 14 cm. Photographic prints
Wise, Lewis A Silversmiths--California--Calabasas Metal-work--California--Calabasas Art metal-work--California--Calabasas Art metal-work--California--Calabasas--Equipment and supplies Workshops--California--Calabasas Workshops--California--Calabasas--Equipment and supplies Men--California--Calabasas Calabasas (Calif.) Valley Times Collection photographs
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