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FLEET LIBRARY | Research Guides

Rhode Island School of Design

About Special Collections: Collections

A guide to the items and collections in Special Collections

Gorham Design LIbrary - About the Collection

Gorham Manufacturing Company was founded in 1831 in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally manufacturing spoons out of coin silver, it grew to be a leader in the American silver industry. John Gorham, whose father founded the company, traveled in Europe during the 1850s and began buying books and periodicals that founded the Gorham Design Library. The Design Library served as inspiration for Gorham’s designers until 2005 when the Lenox Company donated the collection to the Fleet Library at RISD. The collection consists of hundreds of books on design, architecture, and decorative arts.

Fleet Library at RISD:

A few items from the Gorham Design Library

Sample titles from the Gorham Design Library

Search for "From the Gorham Design Library. Gift of Lenox Inc." in the online catalog to find items in the Gorham collection.  To find Gorham items in Special Collections, limit by "Special Collections".

Search for "From the Gorham Design Library. Gift of Lenox Inc." in the online catalog to find items in the Gorham collection.  To find Gorham items in Special Collections, limit by "Special Collections".

Search for "From the Gorham Design Library. Gift of Lenox Inc." in the online catalog to find items in the Gorham collection.  To find Gorham items in Special Collections, limit by "Special Collections".

Search for "From the Gorham Design Library. Gift of Lenox Inc." in the online catalog to find items in the Gorham collection.  To find Gorham items in Special Collections, limit by "Special Collections".

Search for "From the Gorham Design Library. Gift of Lenox Inc." in the online catalog to find items in the Gorham collection.  To find Gorham items in Special Collections, limit by "Special Collections".

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