O'Hara Dial

O'Hara Dial Co.
74 Rumford Avenue, Waltham, Massachusetts. United States.
Known dates: Daniel O'Hara - Born 1855. Died 1912.

Daniel O'Hara trained as a watch case maker at Dueber Watch Case Manufacturing Co., Newport Kentucky. Then in 1880 he became foreman of the case department for the Waltham Watch Co., Waltham, Mass. In May 1890 the case department was sold off, to make more room for movement production. So in July 1890, O'Hara joined Edward Weatherbee, who had a small watch dial business in Waltham. The resulting company was called the Waltham Dial Co. In 1893, Weatherbee left to become superintendent of the dial department of the Trenton Watch Company. Capitalising the business with $40,000, O'Hara eventually changed the company name to O'Hara Waltham Dial Co. then again to O'Hara Dial Co. They moved into their new Rumford Avenue factory in 1897. Business declined after 1898 due to competition from a new watch dial maker in Sag Harbour, Long Island, New York State.
They therefore started to purchase standard decorated stein bodies from the Ceramic Art Company / Lenox Incorporated, complete with the O'Hara Dial "fleur-de-lis" base mark, and fitted pewter lids by Manning Bowman & Co. O'Hara Dial then cut and enamelled the circular brass inserts, assembled them to the lid and finally distributed the completed steins under their own name. They also had a second supplier who could produce special designs to order. The Thuemler Manufacturing Co. of Pittsburgh, were decorators who could supply lidded steins, with custom transfers under glaze, to suit specific customer requirements. It is believed that Thuemler never applied the O'Hara Dial "fleur-de-lis" mark to his steins.
Columbian Art Pottery (Morris & Willmore) steins were also supplied with Manning Bowman lids with O'Hara Dial inserts.
Thuemler ceased trading in 1908, but O'Hara Dial continued to sell steins until around 1912. They finally closed their doors around 1926, but the factory continued to be used for other industry. The buildings were rescheduled for housing in 2014, but I understand that they were finally demolished in October 2019.

Reference: Wikipedia

Porcelain and pewter coaster, made for Young's Hotel. The porcelain was decorated by O'Hara Dial with the pewter being probably made by Manning Bowman.

The reverse side of the coaster above with the O'Hara Dial stylised Fleur-des-Lys and their Boston Agents - The Richard Briggs Co. of 137 Washington Street, Boston, who were China, Glass and Crockery importers and retailers.

Manning Bowman lid, complete with enamelled brass, O'Hara Dial insert, from the featured stein above.

Daniel O'Hara (1855 - 1912)

Stein by Ceramic Art Company / Lenox Incorporated. Note the unique method of attaching the pewter work to the handle, which denotes a Manning Bowman lid, together with the special thumbpull, specifically for O'Hara Dial.

Fleur-de-lys inspired mark as supplied by the Ceramic Art Company / Lenox Incorporated. No Theumler stein has yet been seen with this mark.

Fleur-de-lys inspired mark as supplied by the Ceramic Art Company / Lenox Incorporated. No Theumler stein has yet been seen with this mark.

Thuemler Manufacturing Co. decorated stein, supplied with a Manning Bowman & Co. lid, but the enamelled brass insert was manufactured and decorated by O'Hara Dial. N.B. The thumbpull is a special to O'Hara Dial.