Early American Pressed Glass
Row 1: Pennsylvania Tumblers; Cambridge Snowflake Pitcher; Diamond Fan Water Jug; Row 2: Famous Butter Dish; Unknown Relish, Bread Plate; McKee Wiltec Open Sugar Bowl
PRESSED GLASS 1850-1910
Pressed Glass is also referred to as Pattern Glass. However, there is actually a difference. All Pattern Glass will be pressed glass, but not all Pressed Glass will be Pattern Glass. Actually Pattern Glass refers to matched table sets. Pressed Glass may consist of only a single item such as a goblet. Most of the pieces shown in the photos were produced as
Pattern Glass was the alternative to hand-cut crystal. Competition between manufacturers was stiff and manufacturers made a wide range of patterns to compete with each other. However, competitors routinely copied patterns making onl minor changes to them and changing the pattern names just enough to keep from being sued.
The 1850s saw a new wave of activity and the industry flourished. Natural gas was discovered in Western Pennsylvania and continued technological improvements became the stepping stones that revolutionized the industry. William Leighton, Sr. of Hobbs, Broucknier & Co. (Wheeling WV) discovered that replacing soda ash with bicarbonate of soda produced a glass that was lighter, more econimical to produce and still viable. The new formula was perhaps the single most important development effecting the production of pressed glasswares.
By the 1890s, labor troubles, depletion of natural gas, and the depression, many factories were forced to close. National Glass Company and United States Glass Company formed co-ops and this to allow many of the glass companies to survive by combining resources. But by 1900 the quality of most pressed glass tablewares had vanished.
Pattern Glass was the alternative to hand-cut crystal. Competition between manufacturers was stiff and manufacturers made a wide range of patterns to compete with each other. However, competitors routinely copied patterns making onl minor changes to them and changing the pattern names just enough to keep from being sued.
The 1850s saw a new wave of activity and the industry flourished. Natural gas was discovered in Western Pennsylvania and continued technological improvements became the stepping stones that revolutionized the industry. William Leighton, Sr. of Hobbs, Broucknier & Co. (Wheeling WV) discovered that replacing soda ash with bicarbonate of soda produced a glass that was lighter, more econimical to produce and still viable. The new formula was perhaps the single most important development effecting the production of pressed glasswares.
By the 1890s, labor troubles, depletion of natural gas, and the depression, many factories were forced to close. National Glass Company and United States Glass Company formed co-ops and this to allow many of the glass companies to survive by combining resources. But by 1900 the quality of most pressed glass tablewares had vanished.