Gibson Pewter is thrilled to be featured in the September issue of Yankee Magazine!
from the article:
Something about pewter evokes more than a whiff of colonial history. The early metal conjures up molten threads pouring into molds, the dusky smell of heated tin, the imagination of craftsmen wearing Paul Revere–style billowy shirts and buckled shoes.
“I’ve always loved pewter and the history of this craft,” says Jon Gibson, who practically whispers in the presence of molds from the 1800s at his Washington, New Hampshire, workshop. Confessing he would “travel to the edge of the earth looking for antique tools,” the 58-year-old artisan points to heirlooms for sale alongside his own work at Gibson Pewter: a London Beefeater flagon from the 1640s, squat tankards, a lighthouse-style coffeepot from the 19th century. These pewter ancestors sit on high shelves overlooking Jon’s own dazzling Queen Anne tea sets, spoons, and porringers.
Partly, Gibson’s reverence might be his way of acknowledging loss—too many molds were melted down during the Civil War, their bronze used for armaments. But it might also be a nod to heredity: There’s a black-and-white photo of him, age 8, scowling as his dad, Raymond, leans over the workbench. “They made me put on a clean shirt for that picture,” Gibson says, smiling.
