Pressed glass

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Pressed glass drinking glasses from the early 20th century. Pressed glass.jpg
Pressed glass drinking glasses from the early 20th century.
Art Deco glas with pressed glas foot, 1920s Pressed Glas Art Deco.jpg
Art Deco glas with pressed glas foot, 1920s

Pressed glass (or pattern glass) [1] is a form of glass made by pressing molten glass into a mold using a plunger. [2] Although hand pressed glass has existed for over 1,000 years, the use of a machine for pressing was first patented by Pittsburgh glass man John P. Bakewell in 1825 to make knobs for furniture.

The technique was developed in the United States from the 1820s and in Europe, particularly France, Bohemia, and Sweden from the 1830s. By the mid-19th century, most inexpensive mass-produced glassware was pressed (1850–1910). [1] One type of pressed glass is carnival glass. [3] Painted pressed glass produced in the early 20th century is often called goofus glass.[ citation needed ] The method is also used to make beads. [4]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early glassmaking in the United States</span> Glassmaking in the United States before the 18th century

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Indiana Glass Company was an American company that manufactured pressed, blown and hand-molded glassware and tableware for almost 100 years. Predecessors to the company began operations in Dunkirk, Indiana, in 1896 and 1904, when East Central Indiana experienced the Indiana gas boom. The company started in 1907, when a group of investors led by Frank W. Merry formed a company to buy the Dunkirk glass plant that belonged to the bankrupt National Glass Company. National Glass was a trust for glass tableware that originally owned 19 glass factories including the plant in Dunkirk. National Glass went bankrupt in 1907, and its assets were sold in late 1908.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">19th century glassmaking in the United States</span>

19th century glassmaking in the United States started slowly with less than a dozen glass factories operating. Much of the nation's better quality glass was imported, and English glassmakers had a monopoly on major ingredients for high–quality glass such as good–quality sand and red lead. A tariff and the War of 1812 added to the difficulties of making crystal glass in America. After the war, English glassmakers began dumping low priced glassware in the United States, which caused some glass works to go out of business. A protective tariff and the ingenuity of Boston businessman Deming Jarves helped revive the domestic glass industry.

Bakewell, Pears and Company was Pittsburgh's best known glass manufacturer. The company was most famous for its lead crystal glass, which was often decorated by cutting or engraving. It also made window glass, bottles, and lamps. The company was one of the first American glass manufacturers to produce glass using mechanical pressing. In the 1820s and 1830s, Bakewell glassware was purchased for the White House by presidents James Monroe and Andrew Jackson. Founder Benjamin Bakewell is considered by some to be father of the crystal glassware business in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 "pressed glass". www.britannica.com. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. July 20, 1998. Retrieved March 3, 2022. pressed glass, glassware produced by mechanically pressing molten glass into a plain or engraved mold by means of a plunger
  2. Loomis, Frank Farmer (2005-09-10). Antiques 101: A Crash Course in Everything Antique. Krause Publications. ISBN   0896891585.
  3. Cleland, Nancy N. (1993). The Archaic, Woodland, and Historic Period Occupations of the Liberty Bridge Locale, Bay City, Michigan: Submitted to City of Bay City, Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Department of State, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Michigan Department of Transportation. ISBN   9780962367021.
  4. Atkins, Robin (December 2012). The Complete Photo Guide to Beading. Creative Publishing international. ISBN   9781589237186.