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Kinds of Antique Glasses

Whether made for decorative or utilitarian purposes, antique glassware comes in a wide variety of types, patterns and colors. Glass blowing was developed in the first century; since then, glass has been blown, pressed and molded, cut, etched and colored into countless designs. Styles of antique glass popular with collectors today include cut glass (made by pressing the glass against a rotating cutting wheel), pressed (or pattern) glass, Depression glass and art glass.

History of Glassware Manufacture
- This glassware resembles Bohemian glass, which was famous for its red coloring.
  
  Artisan-created glassware reached its first great heyday in Bohemia during medieval times, when glassmakers created richly decorated and colored goblets and wine flutes. This industry expanded in Venice during the 16th century, when craftsmen developed glass blowing into a recognized artistic medium. By the 1700s, both Germany and England became world leaders in manufacturing leaded glass. During this century, glassmakers began arriving in America; this century also ushered in the widespread popularity of brilliant cut glass.
Brilliant Cut Glass
- The style known as "brilliant cut glass" is popular with collectors.
  
  According to cut glass expert John C. Roesel, the style known as "brilliant cut glass" was first produced for widespread use at the end of the 16th century in Prague. Its popularity gave birth to companies such as Baccarat, founded in France in 1765 and famous for its elegant designs in clear and colored glass, and Waterford, founded in Ireland in 1783 and famous for its brilliant cut crystal.
American Glass Companies
- Pressed glass patterns were made to resemble hand-cut glass.
  
  The glass industry reached an artistic peak in America during the late 19th century, with manufacturers such as Steuben, Libbey and Fenton. These companies, along with Lalique of France, also developed an artistic form of decorative glass known to collectors as "art glass," which featured imaginative designs reminiscent of fine art, often in unusual colors. During this time, a number of companies in Ohio and Pennsylvania began to develop pressed glass; formed in molds, it was inexpensively mass-produced, with elegant patterns resembling cut glass. Pressed glass was produced by manufacturers such as Jeannette, Heisey and Anchor Hocking.
Depression Glass
- During the economic depression of the 1930s, glass manufacturers in the U.S. produced inexpensive pressed glass in attractive colors and patterns, readily accessible to families on reduced incomes. This glass was available not only in retail stores but also from catalog merchants such as Sears and Montgomery Ward, and was even used for giveaway promotions in cereal boxes and at gas stations and movie theaters, where ̶0;dish night̶1; became a regular feature. This pressed glass is known to collectors as ̶0;Depression glass,̶1; and is considered a testament to the ingenuity of American manufacturers during difficult economic times.

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