Treasure Chest Thursday, Buenilum

This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Treasures and Curiosities

After my Mother passed away, S-Dad waited a while, then began hunting for a place closer to his children. As he packed up in preparation for the move, a number of things came to the surface, and traveled down the road to Granny’s house. Two of those items are today’s subject.

I remember this plate and pitcher being around when I was young. The pitcher was used for water at holiday dinners, or on other occasions when we had company. Like a lot of folks, we used the faucet when there was no company.

both

The maker is the Boehner-Wanner Company of Norwalk, Connecticut. Buenilum is a trade name used for the hammered aluminum pieces. The company was started by Frederick Boehner Wanner, you can read a little more about him here. The mark on the bottom of both is a castle with the initials B.W. and the word “Buenilum”.

mark

The pitcher is about 9.5 inches high. I did not measure the amount it can hold, I think it is about two quarts. The serving tray is 14.5 inches across, excluding the handles. I believe there was a glass liner that fit into the depression, it has not survived.

These days, I have been working hard to get my old photos scanned. Check out this one I came across recently, with the Buenilum pitcher on the table.

001

In the back left, my grandmother, Winnie (Kaiser) Yearnd, at the end of the table, brother number 1, then me with the dirty face, then my Dad. Mom must have been taking the picture. Maybe I will put the pitcher on the table tonight.

This post was written following the “Treasure Chest Thursday” theme over at Geneabloggers.

Series NavigationTreasure Chest Thursday – The Service FlagTreasure Chest Thursday – Dad’s Shoe Shine Kit

3 comments

  1. Oh how lovely! What a treasure, indeed!
    And so happy to hear you still use these! I’ve recently been gifted with some depression glassware. And my first thought was to use it on my own table!
    What a wonderful way to bring back memories, and share with our family the ties to our past!
    Thanks for sharing these photos!
    .-= Cyndi Beane Henry´s last blog ..Treasure Chest Thursday – Floral Cards =-.

    • James Buehner on April 2, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    This is a great pitcher. Truly hand hammered. I believe the mark pictured is from the tray, which dates to a later era. Pitcher mark at the bottom should say “Hand wrought.”

  2. I just looked at the picture, and indeed, it does say, “Cromwell hand wrought aluminum”. So the pitcher is aluminum, not buenilum. I guess should have looked at looked at it more closely earlier. I always thought the two belonged together, but it appears that they are different things.

    Thank you for giving me this information.

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