This is a very lovely Arts & Crafts letter holder by Forest Mann, who operated Forest Craft Guild in Grand Rapid Michigan, 1905-1918. An elegant form with perfect patina, and quintessentially Arts & Crafts triangle-shaped cutouts with slightly rounded corners along the front.
Born in 1879, Mann attended the Pratt Institute, NY, where he was a student of Arthur Wesley Dow. After graduating, he taught Arts & Crafts classes in Dayton, Ohio, and founded the Miami Pottery, named for the clay from the nearby Miami River. By 1902 Mann was running a small jewelry studio he called the Sherman Shop in Grand Rapids, where he produced handmade, relatively expensive pieces in small quantities. In 1905 he started the Forest Craft Guild, partly to create objects that were somewhat less refined and more affordable than his previous items. Experts regard the work of the Forest Craft Guild, which included jewelry, desk sets, trays candlesticks, jewelry boxes and the like, as under-appreciated today, including because many pieces were not marked; fortunately this one is!
Copper, I believe, though possibly brass with applied patina, which I know was the done with some pieces. Perfect for holding incoming or outgoing mail or setting aside bills to be paid. Or pretty on the table filled with crisp white linen napkins! 6" wide x 4 1/2" tall x 2 14" d. Very good antique condition.
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