Principal sources: Revi (1965); Barbe and Reed (2003) for companies located in Wayne county, PA; these companies are marked with a plus sign (+).
Blackmer Cut Glass Company, New Bedford, MA
Founded in 1894 (some sources say 1892) and incorporated in 1895, the A. L. Blackmer Company prospered until 1908 when financial difficulties forced the company to reorganize as the Blackmer Cut Glass Company. A. L. Blackmer, the firm's founder, served both companies as treasurer and manager. He was previously employed by the Mt. Washington Glass Works "in various positions" during which he learned the glass trade. Blackmer designed most of the company's rich-cut patterns, but he also employed an assistant. He himself was partial to geometric, rather than realistic, patterns and they were the mainstay of his company. Only toward the end of its existence, after 1910, did the company introduce realistic patterns. Earlier, realistic pattern-names, such as Iris and Pansy, were used, but the patterns are strictly geometric.
A. L. Blackmer was well-known for the perfection of his "final polish". It was claimed that his cut surfaces "could be made no smoother or more lustrous than the original surface" and that his cut glass had "a glistening surface long considered practically impossible" [to produce] (Jeweler's Circular, 18 Dec 1895, p. 5.) The process that resulted in this glistening surface was called "gem", about which nothing is known (obviously it was a trade secret). Given the date, the process probably involved chemical (acid) polishing.
Although A. L. Blackmer preferred glass that was "all cut", economically he had to acknowledge the emerging popularity in the glass trade of the "figured" blank after about 1905. He did this in 1911 by issuing a catalog of cut glass that used these blanks. But he was careful to keep such glass separate from his catalogs of quality cut glass (The Crockery and Glass Journal, 31 Aug 1911, p. 14). An example of Blackmer's catalog of glass cut on "figured" blanks has yet to be found.
The Blackmer company's reputation today rests on its glass cut in patterns that are associated with the middle brilliant period. As early as 1897 patterns such as Constellation, Superba, Roman, and Arlington patterns were receiving favorable comment. Today only the Constellation pattern in this group has been positively identified. (See p.56 in the NEW BEDFORD SEMI-CENTENNIAL SOUVENIR book, published in 1897 by the Journal of Commerce Co., Providence, RI. for a clear photograph of the Constellation pattern on a two-part punch bowl and a brief article on the Blackmer company. This photo was eventually printed in the 1906 catalog.)
It should be mentioned that Revi also supplies a photograph (p. 64) that shows three pieces of Blackmer cut glass that then, as now, were owned by the Corning Museum of Glass. Unfortunately, the pattern on the vase, while a Blackmer pattern, is incorrectly identified by Revi as the Constellation pattern. (Pearson follows Revi and also misidentifies this pattern as Constellation in his ENCYCLOPEDIA, Vol. 1, p. 104.) This unknown pattern is also shown in an ad placed by the glass merchant J. D. Dithridge in the China, Glass & Pottery Review of March 1901, p. 38. Dithridge was representing Blackmer at this time. Unfortunately, the ad does not name the pattern.
The champagne glass and the "lemonade glass" in Revi's photo are both cut in Blackmer's Columbia pattern, a pattern that was, for many years after 1900, pictured on the company's billhead. Originally Revi wrote that the champagne glass' pattern was "unknown". However, a check of the Corning Museum of Glass' Glass Object Data Base indicates that Revi later identified the pattern as Columbia. The Museum's data base also shows that the incorrect identification given the aforementioned vase was, in fact, made by Revi and not by the Museum. The vase, champagne glass (goblet), and lemonade glass (tumbler) have the following CMG accession numbers: 61.4.115, 116, and 117.
High-quality patterns cut by Blackmer during the early twentieth century include Sultana, Lyndale, Nordica, Princess, and Zephyr among several others, including the Columbia and Estelle patterns which are considered below.
In common with most other cut-glass manufactures the Blackmer company was adversely affected by marked changes in popular taste after 1910 as well as by increasing competition and the approach of the First World War. By 1916 it was necessary for A. L. Blackmer to liquidate his company. He remained in the cut-glass business, however, and for a period worked as a salesman for the Hunt Glass Company of Corning. Arthur L. Blackmer died in 1937.
Twenty-plus years ago the writer was fortunate to find, not far from where he was then living, two superior examples of Blackmer cut glass: the company's "signature" pattern, Columbia, and the Estelle pattern. The Columbia example was found on an pitcher, shape no. 207, at an antiques show in Boston. It sold for $475 in 1984.
The following two images show the Columbia pattern on a square bowl. Diagonal = 9.5" (xx cm), H = 3.5" (xx cm), wt = 4.2 lb (xx kg). It was offered for sale for $749.99 on eBay during 2006 but did not sell, probably because of the accompanying statement: "There are many tiny chips on this piece."
The Estelle ice cream tray, below, materialized in a shop in southern Rhode Island in 1982. This design, which was introduced by 1905, is one of the company's most brilliant. It is shown in the company's 1906 catalog as well as in the January 1905 issue of China, Glass & Pottery Review, p. 37. Neither the Columbia pitcher nor the Estelle ice cream tray were identified by their respective sellers as Blackmer Cut Glass.
Ice cream tray or plate cut in the Estelle pattern on shape no. 283 by the Blackmer Cut Glass Company. D = 13.75" (34.9 cm), wt = 8.25 lb (3.8 kg). Sold for $850 in 1982. A twin to this tray was advertised for sale by a recognized dealer in American cut glass during the summer of 2004 for $4,250.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Blackmer company produced books of photographs of its products for customers who were unable to view the items first-hand in New Bedford. Thus, it seems likely that the company's first printed catalog was delayed, perhaps as late as the 1906 catalog listed here. This catalog was soon followed by other printed material, all of which is available in the Rakow Library, either as hardcopy or in microform:
[1906 Catalog] A. L. BLACKMER CO., HIGH GRADE CUT GLASS. Prepared for the 1906-7 season. An American Cut Glass Association reprint. Originally copyrighted by J. Michael Pearson, 1982. 92 patterns on 47 plates.
[c1908 Catalog] A. L. BLACKMER CO., RICH CUT GLASS. The date 1908 is inscribed by hand on cover. 73 patterns on 24 plates. Most of these patterns are also available in the previous catalog. Reprinted in Smith (2004c).
[Two c1910 Catalogs] BLACKMER CUT GLASS. These two catalogs, referred to as "A" and "B" by Smith (2003), who has reprinted them, were once owned by Gladys Blackmer, A. L.'s daughter. They are now at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The catalogs can be dated as having been printed after June 1908, when the company's name was changed from the A. L. Blackmer Company to Blackmer Cut Glass, but probably before 1914, when the company appears to have published its final advertisement -- a realistic pattern, Lilly-of-the-Valley, that is realistically rendered. This pattern is not found in either of these two catalogs. Because the catalogs are loose-leaf compilations, and because they share a couple plates that are identical (except for plate numbers), it is not possible to assign a specific date to each catalog. The period 1908 to 1914, or c1910, will have to suffice.
The patterns in the two c1910 catalogs total 69. All of them are listed in the book by Revi (1965, p. 65) who adds the following five patterns which he may have found in advertisements or promotional material: Constellation, Superba, Roman, Arlington, and Iola for a total of 74. Revi's Florence pattern is probably a misprint that should be Florene. Most of these patterns are found in the previously listed catalogs. (CMG R-829)
Boston and Sandwich Glass Company, Sandwich, MA
[c1874 Catalog and Price List] Acorn, Vol. 3 (1992), pp. 11-20 plus 80 plates. (The plates were published separately in 1968 by Lee Publications, Wellesley Hills, MA.)
Brooklyn Flint Glass Works, Brooklyn, NY
Buffalo Cut Glass Company, Buffalo, NY. The ACGA reprinted a catalog from this company in 2007 with the title THE BUFFALO CUT GLASS COMPANY. The writer has not yet seen a copy of this reprint.
Clinton Cut Glass Company, Aldenville, PA (+)
Crystal Cut Glass Company, Honesdale, PA (+)
Dithridge Flint Glass Company, New Brighton, PA
Elite Cut Glass Manufacturing Company, Aldenville, PA (+)
Elmira Cut Glass Company, Elmira, NY
[c1908 Catalog] ELMIRA CUT GLASS COMPANY. American Cut Glass Association. 2001, viii + pp. 5-44.
Empire/Flemington Cut Glass Companies, NYC then Flemington, NJ
[c1903-c1914 Composite Catalog] THE EMPIRE CUT GLASS CO. American Cut Glass Association. [1980], [56 pp.].
Giometti Brothers, Corning, NY
E. V. Haugwout and Company, New York, NY
Hobbs, Brockunier and Company, Wheeling, WV
Honesdale Cut Glass Company, Honesdale, PA (+)
Hope Glass Cutting Works, Providence, RI
Illig Cut Glass Company, Corning, NY
Kelly & Steinman Cut Glass Company, Honesdale, PA relocated to Deposit, NY (+)
Kelz-Myers Cut Glass Company; Frank J. Myers & Son, Inc., Cut Glass Manufacturers, Honesdale, PA (+)
Krantz, Smith and Company; then Krantz & Sell Company; then G. Sell & Company all of Honesdale, PA (+)
[c1900-c1912 Composite Catalog] KRANTZ, SMITH & CO. RICH CUT GLASS. American Cut Glass Association. 1995, viii + 103 pp.
Lackawanna Cut Glass Company, Scranton, PA (see T. B. Clark & Company for information and catalog)
Laurel Cut Glass Company, Jermyn, PA.
[1907 Catalog] CUT GLASS. LAUREL CUT GLASS COMPANY. American Cut Glass Association. n.d., [iii] + 33 pp.
Liberty Cut Glass Works, Egg Harbor City, NY
[c1905 Partial Catalog], pp.12-23 plus 3 unnumbered pages. Available from Glass Collector's Digest, Marietta, OH. Factory outlet for Quaker City Cut Glass Company, Philadelphia, PA but also did some cutting.
Majestic Cut Glass Company, Elmira, NY
Maple City Glass Company, Honesdale, PA (see T. B. Clark & Company for additional information and catalogs). The following acid-etched signatures are not to scale: The veined maple leaf on the left (0.5" x 0.6") has been found on a bowl cut in the Altair pattern, a pattern that is illustrated in the company's catalogs for 1904 and 1906 but could have been cut earlier. This sketch was kindly provided by Bonnie Hancock. The other two leaf signatures are from Daniel (1950, p. 385).
The stylized maple leaf in the center is tiny. It is found on the following plate, cut in the Mignonette pattern. This pattern is also illustrated in the company's catalog for 1904. D = 7.5" (19.0 cm), weight not available. Sold for $150 in 1996.
Niagara Cut Glass Company, Buffalo, NY
[c1905] Catalog: NIAGARA CUT GLASS COMPANY, American Cut Glass Association. 2004, vi + 14 pp. No prices.
Niland Cut Glass Company, Deep River, CT. The ACGA reprinted a catalog from this company with the title THE GLASS OF THE NILAND BROTHERS in 2007. The writer has not yet seen a copy of this reprint.
Phoenix Glass Company, Monaca, PA (Production of cut glass was limited to 1885-1894 except for cut-glass lamp shades that were produced throughout much of the company's history. See Howe 1 for additional information.)
Quaker City Cut Glass Company, Philadelphia, PA
[c1904 Catalog Fragment] QUAKER CITY CUT GLASS CO. American Cut Glass Association. n.d., [100 pp.]. Reference: Mucha, M. E., 1986: Quaker City -- hand finish, The Glass Club Bulletin, No. 149, pp. 9-22 (spring 1986).
Rochester Tumbler Company, Rochester, PA
Smethport Cut Glass Works, Smethport, PA
Smith Brothers, New Bedford, MA
Sweeney and Company, North Wheeling, WV
Taylor Brothers & Company, Philadelphia, PA
[c1909 Catalog, Incomplete] TAYLOR BROS. & COMPANY, INC. CUT GLASS. American Cut Glass Association. [1980], [44 pp.].
Thatcher Brothers, New Bedford, MA relocated to Fairhaven, MA
Unger Brothers, Newark, NJ
[c1906 Catalog] UNGER BROS. MANUFACTURING. American Cut Glass Assocation. 1985, [38 pp.].
[Undated Catalog Fragment] UNGER BROS. 1885-1918. [ii] + 16 pp. Photocopy only. Source unknown.
Union Glass Company, Somerville, MA
Wallenpaupack Cut Glass Company, Hawley, PA (+)
Wangum Cut Glass Company, Hawley, PA (+)
Wayne Cut Glass Company, Hawley, PA relocated to Towanda, PA (+)
Wickham, Hughes Company, Scranton, PA (+)
Wright Rich Cut Glass Company, Anderson, IN
Updated 1 Aug 2007