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The Brilliant Period of American Cut Glass

 

The Brilliant Period of American Cut Glass

February 16, 2008 – August 17, 2008

The Mint Museum of Art

Bridges and Levine Galleries

 

This exhibition showcases cut glass from the American Brilliant Period; a forty year period (1876-1916) when American cut glass art was revered throughout the world. American craftsmen and manufacturers were determined to show the rest of the world that the United States was developing its own expertise in its creative and industrial endeavors. The raw materials and processes for creating glass improved during the same time that many European glass makers immigrated to the United States. High-end consumers valued the glass and helped to create a demand that fueled creative competition. An even greater interest in this art form developed when elegant cut glass products were displayed during the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, and later at the 1889 Paris Exposition and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago when several of the manufacturers represented in this exhibition won acclaim and awards. Aficionados then and now appreciate the medium for its sparkling beauty, complexity of design and because of the laborious, handmade processes involved.

 

The one hundred and twenty pieces in the exhibition are on loan from members of the Carolinas Chapter of the American Cut Glass Association, and other members of the association, and were chosen for their exemplary craftsmanship and rarity of patterning. Objects include: punch bowls, trays, vases, decanters and tableware from a variety of manufacturers.

 

The Brilliant Period of American Cut Glass exhibiton provides an opportunity for our visitors to see stellar examples of American Brilliant Point cut glass in a variety of shapes and especially in extremely intricate and unusual patterns. Accompanying interpretation and illustrations will explain the labor-intensive process by which these objects were made, as well as give brief descriptions of some of the most important manufacturers that produced them. It is hoped that our visitors will come away from the exhibition with a fuller appreciation for the artistic and technical heights achieved by master craftsmen working in this medium and understand that brilliant cut glass represents one of the most important chapters in the history of American glass.

 

Collectors of American Cut Glass are passionate about these beautiful objects. There are numerous books and websites that help both the novice and the experienced collector identify, judge quality, and price these pieces. It can sometimes be difficult to identify the exact manufacturers. A black light (ultaviolet) is often used to help identify the chemicals used in the glass and pinpoint whether the object was made during the Brilliant Period.

 

 

Large Tray showing Hobstar Pattern

 

 

 Brilliant Period of American Cut Glass exhibition page on the Mint Museum website

 

Manufacturers

  • The manufacturers represented in this exhibition include T.G. Hawkes , established in 1880 in Corning, New York and carried out today by Crystal Traditions in Tiffin, Ohio. Check this link for more information and a listing of Hawkes crystal patterns.
  • J. Hoare and Company , also located in Corning, primarily provided "blanks" which the other companies used for etching.
  • Oliver Effington worked for both Hoare and Hawkes and started his own cutting shop, O.F. Eggington, which operated from 1896 to 1918 in Corning.
  • Henry P. Sinclaire also worked for Hawkes and his glass company specialized in engraving at the tail end of the Brilliant Period.
  • Toledo, Ohio became home to the Libbey Glass Company after a start as the New England Glass Company in Cambridge, Massachusettes. The company continues to produce glassware today using automatic high volume techniques in contrast to the slow process of making cut glass.
  • WC Anderson was a renowned pattern designer for the New England Glass Company, then Libbey, and then his own American Cut Glass Company (site is no longer available) .
  • The Dorflinger Glass Museum is located in White Mills, Pennsylvania where glass was manufactured from 1860 to 1921.

 

 

American Cut Glass Terminology

  • Cut glass is a result of grinding blown or molded glass on a wheel to shape the edges. Designs are then etched upon the surface of the glass. The American Brilliant Period was a time when numerous glass molds, processes for glass cutting and patterns were patented. The intricate and deeply cut designs help to identify this cut glass from earlier periods.
  • Cut glass can be identified by three general clues, pattern, trade-mark, and metal. A gallery of Brilliant Period objects with examples of numerous patterns.
  • Here are some of the trade-marks from the Brilliant Period. Additional glass marks can be found here (Note: link no longer active). The metal of a piece of glass is the underlying fabric (the basic glass mixture) used in the creation of the blank glass before etching is done. There are recurring motifs such as hobstar, diamonds, pinwheels, fans, bullseyes and feathers.

 

Print Resources from the Mint Museum Library

  • Daniel, Dorothy "Cut and Engraved Glass 1771-1905 The Collector's Guide to American Wares" New York : M. Barrows, 1950 NK5112 .D3 - With 150 pages devoted to the history of the glasshouses and the patterns of the Brilliant Period, Daniel presents an excellent overview of this time. There are detailed descriptions of fifty patterns.
  • McKearin, George S. and Helen McKearin. "American Glass." New York: Crown Publishers, 1948. NK5112 .M26 1948 - Two thousand photographs and one thousand drawings of American Glass with emphasis on the glassmaking process. Extensive historical information and detailed chapters on types of glass and the processes involved in creating them.
  • Pearson, J. Michael and Dorothy T. Pearson. "American Cut Glass For The Discriminating Collector". New York: Vantage Press 1965. NK5112 .P4 - A collector's introduction which focuses primarily on the Brilliant Period, this book helps the reader identify, collect, and care for fine cut glass. Patterns and Categories of cut glass are displayed in a combination of black and white photographs and patent drawings. A section on cut glass terminology with illustrations is included.
  • Revi, Albert Christian. "American Cut and Engraved Glass." New York: Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers, 1965. NK5112 .R39 - An extensive listing of American Cut Glass Companies by state, their histories and examples of their work. Revi discusses the development of American Cut Glass in the book which contains over 500 black and white photographs.
  • Spillman, Jane Shadel. "The American Cut Class Industry T.G. Hawkes and his Competition." Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK ; Wappingers' Falls, NY : Antique Collectors' Club ; [Corning, N.Y.] : Corning Museum of Glass, c1996. NK5203 .S64 1996 - An insider's look at the day to day processes and work needed to create cut glass during the Brilliant Period at T.G Hawkes and other glass companies. The book was written by the current Curator of American Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass and contains 80 color plates in addition to over 500 illustrations, catalog pages, and advertisements

 

Online Resources

  • American Cut Glass Association's website with tons of information about cut glass and has an excellent recommended reading list. Also contains information about the association including the Carolinas Chapter. The 2008 ACGA Annual Convention will take place in Memphis (site is no longer available) .
  • Detailed information about the history of the Brilliant Period can be found in this article by C. Roesel John. Included in the article is a section entitled " Tips for New Collectors"
  • Photographic Tour of the Museum of American Cut and Engraved Glass (site is no longer available) in Highlands, North Carolina.
  • Two part article from JustGlass-Online about American Cut Glass (part 1, part 2) (Note: links to article are no longer valid, but website contains a lot of other material 4/27/11).
  • Anthony Giesen Gallery of American Brilliant Cut Glass at Ferrum College in Virginia.
  • Corning Museum of Glass- Glass and Glassmaking Dictionary
  • A brief guide for the beginning collector which points out features to look for and defects to beware of when assessing American Cut Glass.

 

 

 

 

 


Page created by Shawn Reynolds, Library Assistant for the Mint Museum of Art.

Page edited by Joe Eshleman, Library Assistant for the Mint Museum of Art.