Related files: Obituaries of H. P. Sinclaire, Sr. and H. P. Sinclaire, Jr.
When H. P. Sinclaire, Jr. opened his cutting shop in Corning, NY in 1904 the business was well-positioned to become a successful enterprise, not least because American cut glass had reached the apex of its popularity at about this time. But other factors also predicted a successful future, factors that centered on "H. P." himself. The man, personable and good-looking, had an excellent, although informal, liberal arts education through use of his father's extensive personal library. More formally, he received practical training at the Rochester (NY) Business Institute, training that enabled him to assume the title of book-keeper at Hawkes Rich Cut Glass Works in 1883. At this company he was trained in all aspects of glass-making by T. G. Hawkes himself, and eventually he assumed increased responsibility in the management of the company.
H. P.'s artistic ability, evident from an early age, was encouraged at the Hawkes company where he designed the engraved glass that the company displayed at the Paris Exposition in 1889. The following year he "became the only other owner of more than one share of stock" in the re-organized company now called T. G. Hawkes & Company. (Hawkes was, of course, the other owner.) At this time "Hawkes and Sinclaire agreed about little. Hawkes preferred rich-cut glass, for examples; Sinclaire loved engraving." (Sinclaire and Spillman 1997, p. 206). Estelle Sinclaire has written about these years in detail in the foregoing reference, and also in a monograph, writing as Estelle Sinclaire Farrar (1974 and 1975).
After C. Dorflinger & Sons -- a major supplier of blanks for H. P. Sinclaire & Company -- closed in 1920, Sinclaire opened a glass-blowing factory in Bath, NY, moving it to Dunkirk, NY in 1925. H.P. died suddenly in 1927, and the Dunkirk factory closed immediately. Glass cutting continued at the Corning shop until the following year when the entire company closed.
Principal sources: Farrar (1974), Spillman (1996), Sinclaire and Spillman (1997)
For many years KOVELS' ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES PRICE LIST has given collectors the impression that Sinclaire cut glass was not often "signed", and this mistaken notion persists. Additionally, it gained credence because imperfect pieces were not signed but were sold rather than destroyed which was the policy of many glass manufacturers. Sinclaire and Spillman (1997, p. 223) describe this situation as follows:
Corningites bought and subsequently repaired hundreds, perhaps thousands, of these [imperfect] pieces. Their present owners are likely to think, incorrectly, that Sinclaire & Co. glass was never signed. Unlike Hawkes & Co. and Hoare & Co., Sinclaire & Co. used a trademark from the first [year of operation, 1904]. Unsigned glass in Sinclaire & Co. designs should be considered either imperfect or a "matching" from another company. An exception to this rule is Sinclaire & Co. glass signed by a jewelry company. Some leading jewelers insisted on using their own trademarks on glass that they sold.In the writer's experience Sinclaire cut glass is usually signed, but an extra effort is sometimes required to locate the signature. The laurel wreath trademark, greatly enlarged below, is often so small that it can easily escape notice. An actual example is also shown below. SINCLAIRE, acid-etched in block letters, which was also used as a trademark, is not confined to stemware as is sometimes stated. It can be "hidden" near the rim of a dish, for example. (The Steuben trademark is also shown here because the S-in-a-wreath Sinclaire mark is sometimes incorrectly interpreted by novice collectors as the signature of the Steuben Glass Works. Steuben cut glass is not found with this acid-etched trademark, but STEUBEN in block letters, acid-etched on some engravings, has been reported.)
[100-Plate Photographic Inventory, c1917] Plates 1-66 are found in H. P. SINCLAIRE, JR., GLASSMAKER by Estelle Sinclaire, Vol. 1, 1974, Farrar Books, Garden City, NY. (Plates 67-100 are shown in Sinclaire and Spillman, 1997, pp. 224-257). Vol. 2, 1975, of H. P. SINCLAIRE, Jr., GLASSMAKER contains a listing of blanks (shapes) used by the company. Vols. 1 and 2 are out-of-print.
[Additional patterns - drawings] Spillman 1996, pp. 307-310.
Vase engraved in the RC Somerset pattern, on shape no. 3123, by H. P. Sinclaire & Co., c1915. H = 12.0" (30.5 cm), max D = 6.5" (16.5 cm), wt = 4.25 lb (1.9 kg). Ground and polished pontil contains the acid-stamped Sinclaire "wreath" trademark. Sold for $50 in 1986.
Updated 29 Mar 2003