Creamer with gilt interior

Tiffany introduced its Chrysanthemum pattern at the Paris Exposition in 1878. Patented in 1880, it quickly became one of the company's most popular designs. Chrysanthemum coffee and tea services feature lush blossoms and clusters of leaves, typical not only of the Rococo Revival style but also of the newly fashionable style of Japonisme that was becoming a major part of Tiffany's silver designs. Chrysanthemums have great significance in Japan, and their application on American silver reflects changing Victorian tastes and appreciation for the newly opened trade with Japan. This service belonged to Caroline Huntington Holladay, Henry E. Huntington's youngest sister, and the engraved initials are hers. It may have been given to her on the occasion of her marriage to Edmund Burke Holladay in 1896 by her uncle Collis P. Huntington and his wife Arabella.