Serving fork and spoon

A native of Finland, Leinonen supervised the Handicraft Shop, a cooperative workshop and subsidiary of the Society of Arts and Crafts with locations in Boston and Wellesley Hills. He often integrated elements of the modern Neoclassical Scandinavian style into Colonial forms and designs. This set of flatware is an excellent example of how he merged these influences.

In the late nineteenth century, silversmiths from all parts of Europe immigrated to the United States to settle in Boston. Bringing the experience of their traditional apprenticeships, they quickly adopted the Colonial Revival style, the “house style” of New England. Among these immigrants were Arthur Stone (England), George Gebelein (Germany), and Frans Gyllenberg (Sweden), who paved the way for American silversmiths in the twentieth century. They joined the leading ranks of the nascent Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, often setting national and international aesthetic standards, and taught students of applied arts at institutions like the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.