Gorham is a silver company that was started by silversmith Jabez Gorham in 1831 in Rhode Island. When the company first started, they primarily manufactured spoons made of the same quality of silver as used in coins. They continued to make small silver items until Jabez's son John took over after his father retired. It was then that John went to Europe to learn from the master silversmiths, and even brought back an Englishman to train the Americans in the traditional ways of silver. The Gorham Manufacturing Company grew to great renown and eventually opened a shop on New York's Fifth Avenue.

Gorham silver and flatware was so highly regarded that they were asked to produce special patterns and pieces for famous and influential people. During the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln ordered Gorham flatware and tea service for White House parties. This set now sits in the National Museum of American History.

More recently, Gorham silver was used on Air Force One by George W. Bush. Gorham's most ornate pattern was the Neptune, which was created in the mid-1800's for the president of the Universal Life Insurance Company. This collection of over 700 pieces is now in a museum in Rhode Island.