Niederkorn Silver Recognizes Women’s History Month With a Tribute to Women In Silver:

Published by Gary Niederkorn in General · Saturday 24 Mar 2018
Tags: margot, van, voorhies, carr, margot, de, taxco, mexican, silver, enamel, sterling, silver, william, spratling, antonio, castillo, los, castillo

Margot Van Voorhies Carr (1896 – 1985)

[image:image-0] Those who rummage through the plethora of Mexican silver searching for the prized makers like William Spratling and Hector Aguilar eventually encounter silver marked Margot de Taxco. Margot de Taxco was Margot Van Voorhies Carr. Margot was not a silversmith. She was a designer of silver and business woman, who owned a successful shop in Taxco, Mexico that sold her designs in jewelry and silverwares. One thing that one will notice about the output of Margot is little of her work reflects the ethnic Mexican and Aztec motifs that characterize many of the other major silver jewelers in Taxco, of her time. Margot’s style was more international: exploring themes from as far away as China and Japan and as diverse as Peter Rabbit and Deco Abstraction. Certainly, someone so unique has an interesting story underpinning her fame.

Margot Van Voorhies Carr was born in 1896 (according to Penny C. Morrill’s research). Margot’s father, Albert Durand, passed away in 1903, leaving his wife Albina to discover his real identity as Albert A. Voorhies son of a prominent family in New Orleans. At the age of nine, Margot and her mother survived the terrible San Francisco earthquake on April 18, 1906. Growing up, Margot was introduced to business and developed an artistic inclination. When Margot was nineteen she assumed the family name of Voorhies ― as did her mother, later on. In 1927 Margot wed Francis Evans Carr. Margot’s mother had become the proprietor of a small grocery store in San Francisco; and it was here that Albina became the victim of such a heinous murder that it shocked the country. In 1936 the Carrs divorced. The next year Margot moved to Mexico where she met and married Antonio Castillo, a silversmith working for William Spratling. By 1939 Antonio and Margot established their own shop, with Antonio executing Margot’s designs. Their shop, Los Castillo became incredibly successful, mostly due to the demand in the United States for luxury goods during World War II. However, in 1946 Antonio and Margot divorced. The divorce emboldened Margot, whose new-found independence inspired her set up her own shop. The shop was called Margot de Taxco. In spite of the vicious threats of deportation leveled by Los Castillo, Margot of Taxco persisted. Margot de Taxco ushered in the enameled surfaces that became a signature feature of Margot’s jewelry. At Margot de Taxco designs were fresh and innovative ― attracting patronage of tourists and Hollywood royalty. Sadly, Margot’s story sadly declines: After years of fantastic success, several strokes of bad fortune combine to force Margot into bankruptcy and Margot de Taxco closed in 1974 when Margot was 78. She had lost everything and had to rely upon the support of her dear friend Maria Castillo until her death in 1985.

The wave of interest in Mexican art and decorative arts sweeping the United States and other countries has not forgotten Margot’s contribution, and it is likely that in the years to come her work will receive more of the recognition that it deserves. Margot met the many challenges in her life with determination; she influenced those around her during her lifetime, and her influence is still felt after her death. Margot holds a unique spot in the pantheon of Mexican Silver as a pioneering business-woman, female role model, and fertile designer.

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You can read more in depth about this amazing woman and work in Penny C. Morrill’s wonderful monograph Margot Van Voorhees The Art of Mexican Enamel Work, to which I am indebted for the contents of this article.

Jewelry by Margot de Taxco

at Niederkorn Silver

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Margot de Taxco Enameled Bee pin and Articulated Fish Pin in Confetti Enamel

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Margot de Taxco Sterling Greek Key Necklace

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Margot de Taxco Various Zodiac Pendants

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Margot de Taxco Sterling Beaded Ribbon Pin

and Dancers Pin With Standard an Confetti Enamel

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