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The History of Pressed Glass Glassware

Limited pressed glassware was made in England and America in the late 1700s. However, pressed glassware wasn't mass produced in America until the mid 1800s. Matching sets of pressed glass for the table and decorative items quickly became popular with the working class. There are four distinct types of pressed glass manufactured in America: Early American Pattern Glass, Depression Glass, Carnival Glass and Modern pressed glass.

Early American Pattern Glass
- The earliest mass produced pressed glass in America is called Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG). It was made from 1850 to 1910 in over 3000 patterns. Manufacturers included Northwood in West Virginia, McKee and Westmoreland in Pennsylvania, and Ohio-based Fostoria and Heisey. Most EAPG was clear, as it was made to mimic the expensive crystal of the day. However, limited amounts were also made in yellow, green, blue and pink.
Depression Glass
- In the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, new forms of inexpensive pressed glass tableware were manufactured and became known as Depression Glass. It was made by numerous American manufacturers including Anchor-Hocking, Jeannette, Cambridge, Dugan, Imperial and Hazel-Atlas. Depression Glass It can be found in almost every color of the rainbow, including cranberry red, black and white. Widely collected Depression Glass patterns include American Sweetheart, English Hobnail, Harp, Iris, Madrid and Royal Lace.
Carnival Glass
- A special iridescent form of Depression Glass came to be known as Carnival Glass. The first documented Carnival Glass was manufactured by the Fenton Glass Company in 1905. Other American companies known for their Carnival Glass items include Northwood, Dugan, Millersburg and Imperial. Foreign countries including England, Germany, Mexico and Czechoslovakia imitated the U.S. and produced Carnival Glass, as well. Carnival Glass generally is the most widely collected of all mass-produced pressed glassware.
Modern Pressed Glass
- Modern pressed glass is anything made since about 1950. Fenton Glass of Williamstown, West Virginia, closed the doors of its art glass company in July 2011. Only a handful of glass factories still produce pressed pattern glass today. Most have purchased the original glass molds from famous defunct glass companies, so the pressed glass items they manufacture are considered reproductions. Such manufacturers include Summit Art Glass Company of Ravenna, Ohio, and Mosser Glass Company, L.E. Smith Company and Boyd's Crystal Art Glass, all of Cambridge, Ohio.

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