Collectible Glassware: Early American Pattern Glass

Early American pattern glass (EAPG) is glassware that has been pressed in a mold, as opposed to being blown, spun, or rolled. Also known as pressed glass, the technique is used to create tableware and serving pieces, vases, candy dishes, ashtrays, and other glassware intended for everyday use. Most EAPG is clear, but was also produced in canary (yellow), green, cobalt blue, amethyst, opalescent, white and clambroth (a somewhat opaque grayish color). Pressed glassware pieces like jugs, pitchers and creamers may have fragile handles applied separately by hand.

Pressed glass is molded in cast iron, fired at extreme temperatures, and allowed to cool before it is released from the mold. The glass may have two, three, or four seams depending upon the size and shape of the piece. Small items are created with a two-piece mold and larger ones, like compotes, are pressed in a three-piece mold. A four-piece mold is used to make a squared item. The number of mold seams does not indicate the age of the piece, and the seams may be hidden in the pattern.

The history of glassware in America begins in Jamestown. Producing glassware was a labor-intensive process, with much of the work done by hand. Crude molds existed, but the process was time-consuming. Glass blowers could only create one piece at a time. Glassware was expensive and usually only found on the tables of the wealthy.

After the Civil War, as the industrial revolution took hold and many Americans became prosperous, displays of wealth and excessive opulence created a consumer demand for more glassware. By the 1860's glass making machinery had been improved, and the mass production of high-quality glassware made it affordable for the middle-class family. Setting the table with matching glassware, including plates, bowls, tumblers, creamers, sugar bowls, and other accessories delighted the American housewives.