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Etched Pattern Glass

Acid Etched Goblets and Tableware of the 1880s

Sid Lethbridge

Additional copies of this book may be ordered from:

Sid Lethbridge 2995 Delia Crescent

Brights Grove, Ontario N0N 1C0 CANADA

Copyright ©2013 by Sid Lethbridge

All right reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed or stored in a retrieval system without written permission

from the copyright holder

ETCHED PATTERN GLASS

|

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................................... 1

PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................................ 2

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

WHAT IS ACID ETCHING? .................................................................................................................................... 5

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 6

THE STEMS ............................................................................................................................................................ 9

AETNA GLASS & MANUFACTURING COMPANY ............................................................................................. 50

CENTRAL GLASS CO. ......................................................................................................................................... 52

GEO. DUNCAN & SONS ...................................................................................................................................... 56

ELSON GLASS / WEST VIRGINIA GLASS ......................................................................................................... 65

FOSTORIA GLASS COMPANY ........................................................................................................................... 74

GILLINDER & SONS ............................................................................................................................................ 76

HOBBS, BROCKUNIER & CO. ............................................................................................................................ 99

LA BELLE GLASS CO. ...................................................................................................................................... 112

UNKNOWN 1 ....................................................................................................................................................... 115

UNKNOWN 2 ....................................................................................................................................................... 133

UNKNOWN 3 ....................................................................................................................................................... 142

UNKNOWN 4 ....................................................................................................................................................... 147

UNKNOWN 7 ....................................................................................................................................................... 151

OTHER MAKERS AND MYSTERIES ................................................................................................................. 155

APPENDIX A - THE GOBLET ETCHINGS ........................................................................................................ 167

APPENDIX B –THE L STEM CONFUSION - UNKNOWN 1 AND UNKNOWN 2 .............................................. 175

APPENDIX C – THE REVERSED ETCHINGS ................................................................................................... 177

APPENDIX D – ASA G NEVILLE GLASS COMPANY AND ETCHED GLASS CONNECTIONS ................... 182

APPENDIX E – SHORTWAVE UV LAMPS ........................................................................................................ 188

APPENDIX F - ETCHING ON GLASS AND ITS DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES ......................... 189

APPENDIX F – DOCUMENTATION, ATTRIBUTION OR SPECULATION? ..................................................... 196

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................................. 197

INDEX OF ETCHINGS ........................................................................................................................................ 199


| Acknowledgements 1

Acknowledgements

This book could not have been written without the many folks who have shared information, pictures and

participated in discussions about this glass. All good things flow from them, the errors are mine. Particularly

appreciated is the assistance and input from:

Gilbert Beeson

Tom and Neila Bredehoft

Jon Clark

Frank Consentino

Brad Cruxton

Len Farchione

Tom Felt

Brad Gougeon

Jon Royce

Bob Sanford

Gary Schneider

Gail Bardhan and the rest of the Staff of the Rakow Library

A special thank you is owed to my wife, Judy. Her patience with me knows no end!


2 Preface |

Preface

This collection of pictures of etchings and stems has been assembled to document my thoughts on the

beautiful figural designs acid etched onto pressed glass of the 1880s. It had its origin as a small study of the

figural (i.e. animals, birds, people, plants and buildings) acid etchings on specific goblet blanks – designated as

Stem A through Stem Q by John Mordock in his book “American and Canadian Early Etched Goblets”. That

study was based on a working theory that most of these circa 1880s acid etchings were made by a relatively

small number of companies. However, it has grown beyond that initial scope to include related tableware lines

in an attempt to identify the specific companies that produced these lovely etched patterns.

The following general approach was taken for the study:

Step 1 – Generate a List of Etched Designs on Goblets

Step 2 – Generate a List of the Goblet Blanks

Step 3 – Generate a List of Etching and Goblet Blank Combinations

Step 4 – Generate a List of Etched Tableware

Step 5 – Review Contemporary Trade Journal

Step 6 – Assign Etching Designs to Companies Of course, the steps weren’t all done in that exact order and there were a number of iterations because the

research is never complete – something new always comes up that may add weight to an attribution or

completely change what we know (or more realistically what we think we know). But there comes a time that

all the research has to get written down with the relevant facts and opinions laid out. That means that this

book contains errors – they are inevitable in an area of study where conclusions are drawn from an array of

observations and not documentation.

John B. Mordock laid down a challenge to future glass researchers in his ground breaking work – “I hope that

this booklet will stimulate some budding Ph.D. candidate to research the dates and sources.” Well Mr.

Mordock, I followed your footsteps and then blazed some new trails but there are unanswered questions still.

I hope that another researcher will pick up from where we have left off!

Sid Lethbridge Brights Grove, Ontario


| Introduction 3

Introduction

The use of acid to etch or frost glass wares first became popular in the United States of America around the

time of the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Around 1880, glass makers introduced products that made use of acid

to etch a pattern or design onto the surface of a useful glass object like a goblet or tumbler. Early adapters

included Hobbs, Brockunier & Co. of Wheeling; Geo. Duncan & Sons of Pittsburgh and Central Glass Co. of

Wheeling. When industry leaders set a new path, others follow and many other glass companies started

making etched lines to some degree or another. However all good things come to an end and by 1885 coloured

glass was becoming all the rage and these beautiful etched lines slowly ebbed away.

AboutthisBookAfter a few chapters introducing concepts and the foundation of the research, the etchings are grouped by

responsible companies. Where possible, this book provides clear photos to allow the reader to observe the

details of the etching. Several Appendices have been included to provide additional information and

speculative essays that may not fit nicely into the flow of the main body. There are details in these appendices

that will assist the serious collector or researcher.

WhyalltheUnknowns?The research for this book is based on the premise that these etchings can be sorted into groups based upon

various criteria. Thus far, we are able to assign specific etchings on these goblets, either through

documentation or attribution, to specific companies such as Gillinder & Sons; Hobbs, Brockunier & Co.; Geo.

Duncan & Sons; Elson/West Virginia and others.

However, there remain a large number of etchings that are the product of unknown companies. Based on

criteria such as appearance on specific goblet blanks, these etchings can be sorted into separate groups but we

cannot assign them to a company (yet). The author has used the convention of designating the party

responsible for each of these unassignable families of goblets/etchings as Unknown 1; Unknown 2: and so on

all the way up to Unknown 8. This approach is somewhat unusual in that most books lump all these together

in a chapter called something along the lines of Potpourri or Unattributed and Unknown Makers.

Candidates for these various Unknowns include Aetna Glass & Manufacturing, Belmont Glass Works and

Central Glass Co. We can document each of these firms as having produced etched glass but to date none of

these etchings can be assigned to them.

What’sinaName?The author endorses the use of the Original Manufacturer’s Name where it is known. Unfortunately, very few

of the etchings shown in this book are documented in the manufacturer catalogs available to us today. In

many cases, these etchings have been previously named by Lee, Metz, Unitts and Mordock. Fortunately, these

authors largely used very descriptive names (e.g. Lion, Alligator) instead of naming etches after their paper boy

or some such fancy the likes of which have been inflicted on the glass collecting world by some authors in the

past.


4 Introduction |

As a convention throughout the text, the author has used the collector name first used in the glass literature

and followed it with the responsible author in parentheses. In some cases, names were modified to provide

clarification or in very few cases changed due to obvious errors. A comment to that end is provided in each of

these cases.

Where a new etching has surfaced, a very short descriptive name has been assigned. I have greatly

appreciated the assistance of Frank Consentino, Gilbert Beeson and Jon Royce in the selection of these names.

Some of the discussions, via email, might have gotten a little heated but the outcomes were very appropriate.

HowtoUsethisBookHow you, the reader, should use this book depends upon your objectives. If your copy of Mordock is dog eared

and filled with handwritten notes and you are consumed by your passion for this topic, then I would suggest

that you start with the research methodology chapter and then conduct an in depth review of the chapter on

Stems. That will provide you with a good overview of approach and an update the stems (i.e. goblet blanks)

that were designated by Mordock and those that have been added by the author.

For the person casually interested in the topic of acid etched EAPG, I would suggest reading it in the order it is

presented but suspect that you will get the most out the chapters dedicated to the actual etchings.

Whyisn’titinthisBook?The day this paragraph was written, another previously unlisted goblet etching appeared but every author has

to stop at some point otherwise the book never gets published. As well, the author needs to set the

boundaries within which they are conducting their research. In this case, the scope of this book is acid etching

on pressed glass goblets and tableware of the 1880s (or at least companies around in the 1880s). That means

that there isn’t discussion of the many etched blown tumblers except where they are related to goblets. As

well the work of George Truog is not addressed; Dale Murschell has done an excellent job covering that topic

already and Truog’s companies come after the era presented in this book.

UpdatesIn the digital world we live in now, it is (or should be) a given that glass authors have an obligation to provide

updates/corrections for their books. The author will work with the Museum of American Glass of West Virginia

to provide updates and errata through their “Living Books” webpage.

If you have corrections or additions related to anything in this book, please contact the author through Glasfax

(www.glasfax.ca), the Early American Pattern Glass Society (www.EAPGS.org) or the Museum of American

Glass of West Virginia (www.magwv.com).


| The Stems 9

TheStems

John Mordock in his book “American and Canadian Early Etched Goblets” initiated the use of goblet blanks or

as he called them “Stems”. He sorted his booklet by a series of goblet blanks that he designated as Stem A

through Stem Q. He was very inclusive in his groups resulting in several cases where he shows more than one

blank in each group. Where appropriate, the author has separated these blanks and assigned new letter

designations. In some cases, Mordock’s original stem designation has been modified by adding an underscore

and another letter. For example, Mordock included two similar goblets in his Stem D group one of which has

been determined to be a Gillinder product and the other is unknown. The Gillinder goblet has been

redesignated D_G where the G stands for Gillinder. Additionally, several new goblet blanks have come to light

that were not included in Mordock’s work and, again, the author has assigned Stem names to these goblets.

Examples of each goblet blank type are shown on the following pages. These designations have been used

throughout this book.


| The Stems 19

Stem J

Gillinder No. 63

Angular Bowl

Cup Foot

This blank fluoresces

blue/white under short wave

UV.


44 The Stems |

Stem Y

Unknown 1

Tumbler Bowl

Worked Foot

This is a new blank that the

author has designated as

Stem Y. It is all handmade

without being pressed. The

goblet is essentially a

tumbler with a hand worked

stem and foot attached.

These stems are definitely

not a production item.


| Geo. Duncan & Sons 57

Eng. 2016 Birds Nest

Catalog cut courtesy Tom & Neila Bredehoft

“Geo. Duncan & Sons …have a full

line of ware with bird and nest

decoration with foliage…”

American Pottery & Glassware

Reporter, July 15, 1880

Duncan’s Eng. 2016 Birds Nest (OMN) aka Nestlings (Metz) etching is normally found on their No. 415 aka “Prism Ring” line ‐ table set, comports, celery and stem ware. No water pitcher with the etching has been seen to date. The Duncan catalog illustration identifies it as an Eng. (i.e. engraving) but it is most certainly an etching. “Eng.” may have been Duncan’s nomenclature for any surface decoration. A very rare example of this etching on Duncan’s No. 400 aka “Three Face” salver can be seen below.

Catalog cut courtesy Tom & Neila Bredehoft

Photo courtesy Leonard Farchione


82 GILLINDER & SONS |

No. 9 & 10 - Lily of the Valley

A superb line of etched goblets are also shown,

decorated with lilies of the valley ... March 2, 1882,

Pottery and Glass Reporter

Gillinder’s No. 9 & 10 etching aka Lily of the Valley

(Metz) has been observed on every Gillinder goblet

blank with the exception of Stem N and on a wide range

of tableware including No. 402, No. 301 and Lion.

Interestingly, there are two distinct versions of this

etching designated as Type 1 and Type 2 (for a side by

side comparison see below). Type 1, which is heavier, is

observed much more frequently. Type 2, with finer

details and has only appeared on the L_G and D_G

goblets and on Lion tableware.

Courtesy Rakow Research Library, Corning Museum of Glass

Lilly of the Valley Type 1 Lily of the Valley Type 2


106 Hobbs, Brockunier & Co. |

Flamingo Habitat

Goblet Champagne Claret Wine Egg Cup

Flamingo Habitat pieces available include:

table set

apothecary jar

celery

cheese dish

comports ‐ covered, 8” diameter

comports – open, 6”, 7”, 8” diameter

egg cup

finger bowl

oval bowls, two sizes

pickle jar in silver plate holder

salver (cake stand) – No. 77 or No. 98 Tree of Life with Hand (rare)

sauces, low and high footed

stemware o goblet o champagne o claret o wine

tumbler

water pitcher, pressed

Flamingo Habitat Celery >


| Unknown 3 143

Pixie on Dragonfly

Water Pitcher


| Appendix A ‐ The Goblet Etchings 168

Table 2 Pattern Summary by Goblet Blank

Gillinder Unknown 1

Unkn

own 2

Others

B C D_G F J M N_G S Other A E K L_U1abc O Other L Stem Maker

Alligator L2

Assorted Fruits D1 Unknown

Bear and Indian √

Bear Climber L6

Bird and Fan √

Birds and Roses B2 √ M11 N9 F6

Boat Scene L_F8 Fostoria

Bridge and Monastery

√

Buck and Doe √ √

Buck and Doe, Reversed9

L5

Building √ Q3

Butterfly and Flowers

W Unknown 6

Butterfly and Grass

√

Butterfly and Roses

G Hobbs

Brockunier

Caladium & Bluebells

√

Cross with Flowers √ √

Cupids & Flowers E11 Z

Dahlia √ C3 M9 P4

8 Mordock referenced this etching/stem combination as L28. The author has redesignated this blank as L_F 9 Reversed added to distinguish


199 Index of Etchings |

IndexofEtchingsALLIGATOR 134 ASIATIC LILY, MCKEE’S 161 ASSORTED FRUITS 156 BEAR AND INDIAN 93 BEAR CLIMBER 134 BINDWEED 111 BIRD AND FAN 95 BIRDS AND ROSES (NO. 19 & 20) 90 BIRDS NEST ENG. 2016 57 BOAT SCENE 75 BRIDGE AND MONASTERY 94 BUCK AND DOE 119, 181 BUCK AND DOE, REVERSED 134,181 BUCKEYE’S FRUIT BOUQUET 155 BUILDING 116 BUTTERFLY AND FLOWERS 157 BUTTERFLY AND GRASS 94 BUTTERFLY AND ROSES 102 CALADIUM & BLUEBELLS 116 CALLA LILY 54 CHILDREN IN THE BOWER 166 CROSS WITH FLOWERS (NO. 25) 93 CUPIDS AND FLOWERS 117 DAHLIA (NO. 7) 79 DEER AND CASTLE 118 DEER AND DOG (NO. 14) 86 DEER ETCH 58 DEER HUNTING 158 DOG CHASING RABBIT 147 DOG WITH RABBIT AT FOOT 119 DOG, RABBIT IN MOUTH 119,181 DOG, RABBIT IN MOUTH, REVERSED 134,181 DOVE AND FLOWERS 120 DUCK HUNTING 159 ELEPHANT 119,133,182 ELEPHANT, REVERSED 133,135,182 ENG. 2016 BIRDS NEST 57 ETCH 39 FOSTORIA ROSE 74 ETCH NO. 3 ‐ FEEDING SWAN 67 ETCH NO. 4 – SUNBONNET GIRLS 70 ETCH NO. 5 71 ETCH NO. 6 71 FANS & FLOWERS 113 FEEDING SWAN (ETCH NO. 3) 67 FISH JUMPING 59 FLAMINGO HABITAT 103 FLORAL BAND, DUNCAN’S 61 FLORAL WREATH 121 FLOWER BAND, O’HARA’S 164 FLOWER FRAME (NO. 5) 79 FLYING GEESE 147 FLYING PHEASANT 121 FOREST FANTASY 162 FOSTORIA GLASS COMPANY 74 FROLICKING CHILDREN TUMBLERS 160 FUCHSIA BAND 60 GARDEN FRUITS (NO. 8 ‐) 81

GIRAFFE 121 GOOD LUCK (NO. 11) 85 GREENAWAY GIRL READING 153 GREENAWAY GIRLS WITH HOOPS 152 GREENAWAY TRUMPETER AND CHILD 154 HEN WITH ROOSTER 121 HOPS AND BARLEY 97 HORSE WITH SADDLE 122 HORSE 122 IBEX 122, 182 IBEX, REVERSED 135, 182 KATE GREENAWAY DESIGNS 148 KING DAVID’S COURT 96 LEAF AND BERRY (NO. 15 & 16) 91 LEOPARD 122 LILY OF THE VALLEY (NO. 9 & 10) 82 LION 123,183 LION, REVERSED 135, 183 MARIGOLD (NO. 6) 80 MASSED FLOWERS 123 MONGOLIAN HORSEMAN 163 MONKEY CLIMBER 135 MONKEY SWINGING 123 MORNING GLORY (NO. 17 & 18) 89 NO. 5 – FLOWER FRAME 79 NO. 6 ‐ MARIGOLD 80 NO. 7 – DAHLIA 79 NO. 8 ‐ GARDEN FRUITS 81 NO. 9 & 10 ‐ LILY OF THE VALLEY 82 NO. 11 ‐ GOOD LUCK 85 NO. 12 & 13 ‐ NICOTENIA 85 NO. 14 ‐ DEER AND DOG 86 NO. 15 & 16 – LEAF AND BERRY 91 NO. 17 & 18 ‐ MORNING GLORY 89 NO. 19 & 20 ‐ BIRDS AND ROSES 90 NO. 21 & 22 – SHASTA DAISY 91 NO. 23 – THREE PRESIDENTS 92 NO. 24 – SHIP 92 NO. 25 – CROSS WITH FLOWERS 93 NESTLINGS 57 NICOTENIA (NO. 12 & 13 ‐) 85 OASIS 107 ORCHID 72 ORIENTAL SCENE 110 PASSION FLOWER VINE 73 PERCHING BIRD 123 PIXIE ON DRAGONFLY 142 ROOSTER 125 ROSE, FOSTORIA ETCH 39 74 ROSE & RIBBON 62 ROSE BAND, DUNCAN’S 61 ROSE BAND, HOBBS 111 ROSE BOUQUET 164 RUNNING DEER (SEATED HUNTER) 124 RUNNING DEER (STANDING HUNTERS) 124 SHASTA DAISY (NO. 21 & 22) 91 SHEPHERD 125


| Index of Etchings 200

SHIP (NO. 24) 92 SNOWFLAKE 97 STAG & HORSE 131 STAG IN BRAMBLES 165 STAG IN FRAME 126 STAG 125,183 STAG, REVERSED 136,183 STORK EATING 126 STORK FISHING 126,184 STORK FISHING, REVERSED 136,184 STORK LOOKING UP, REVERSED 136 STORK WALKING 126 STORK WITH SNAKE 127 SUNBONNET GIRLS (ETCH NO. 4) 70 THREE DEER 146 THREE DUCKS 127 THREE PRESIDENTS (NO. 23) 92 TREE STUMP TABLEWARES 129 TRIPLE BOAT SCENE 98 TUMBLERS 64

TWO BIRDS ENTWINED 140 TWO BIRDS SERIES 137 TWO BIRDS WITH BUTTERFLY ON RIGHT 140 TWO BIRDS WITH CROW 139 [TWO BIRDS] BIRD WITH DRAGONFLY 141 TWO BIRDS WITH DRAGONFLY BETWEEN 138 TWO BIRDS WITH DRAGONFLY ON LEFT 138 TWO BIRDS WITH FLEDGLING 140 TWO BIRDS WITH FLYER 140 TWO BIRDS WITH FROG 141 TWO BIRDS WITH NEST AND NESTLING 139 TWO BIRDS WITH NESTLINGS 139 TWO BIRDS WITH TURKEY 139 TWO CAMELS 136 TWO GIRAFFES 137 TWO HERONS 127 TWO TIGERS 137 WHEEL & COMMA 51 WHITE HOUSE 98

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