Ash Receiver

Founded in 1895 by Edward F. Caldwell and Victor von Lossberg, E. F. Caldwell & Co. was among America’s most prominent lighting and interior design companies at the turn of the century. Early innovators in the adaptation of traditional lighting fixtures to electricity, they also operated a sideline in decorative objects and furniture. Combining a small Chinese bowl with a brass circular base, this ornamental ash tray was part of a range of hybrid ceramics sold by Caldwell & Co., which also included lamps incorporating imported Chinese vases or figurines.

American collecting of Chinese art and furnishings increased dramatically in the first decades of the twentieth century. Alongside art dealers such as New York’s Edward I. Farmer, who exclusively dealt in antique and modern Chinese art objects, decorating companies like Caldwell & Co. expanded their offerings to meet the growing demand for East Asian art for the home.

George Booth purchased this ash receiver for Cranbrook House in 1920. It probably came to his attention through the extensive correspondence he carried on with the company that year, in relation to a large order of Caldwell light fixtures for the West Wing addition to his home.

Edward F. Caldwell & Co. (1895-1959)

Edward F. Caldwell & Co. was one of America’s most prominent lighting and furnishing firms in the early twentieth century. They played a leading role in the transition from designing lights for gas, oil, or candle flames to electricity. For their clientele, which included many of the wealthiest individuals and institutions in America, they offered an extensive catalog of thousands of designs for chandeliers, wall sconces, table, and floor lamps, in styles ranging from medieval revival to the cutting edge of Art Deco modernism.

Mariam Hale
2023-2025 Collections Fellow
Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
March 2024