c1878 (formerly c1874): Boston and Sandwich Glass Company. Photographic catalog. Re-dated by K. J. Nelson, 1992: Introductory note to the "c.1874" catalog and price list, The Acorn, Vol. 3, pp. 11-20. Catalog of photographs of about 1850 items, with price list, is reprinted in this issue, plate no. 1 [p. 21] to plate no. 80 [p. 100], but images are reduced in size compared to the following: Same catalog, but without price list, is available as BOSTON & SANDWICH GLASS CO., BOSTON. Eighty plates reprinted in 1968 by Lee Publications. (Original reprint TP868.B74 and microfiche f-4774T at the RRL.) Same price list, 68 pp., but without the catalog, is available separately as PRICE LIST (Photocopy TP868.B74 price list and microfiche f-12634 at the RRL).
Cut-glass patterns include: cut neck, cut stem, star bottom, flute (fluted), fine fingered, coarse fingered, fine diamond, fine diamond & engraved, octagon diamond, prism, etched & engraved 500-9, panel & star (also called star & panel in the catalog), strawberry diamond, Darling diamond (which is small block diamond), punty, fine diamond & engraved, Sandwich, Seago, Swain, Wilson, Stedman, pressed & cut, graphite, Harris, 9 flute, engraved scroll, engraved grapes, groove & split, Greek (border), French border, Persian border, rosette, cut flat, engraved animals, band & line, flute & hoop, Ashburton, arch flute, Drake, engraved Voden, Clark, engraved fish, engraved ivy scroll, engraved double band & line, engraved band & line, Dexter, cut & engraved 6205, silver diamond, engraved fern, lapidary, cut nos. 2, 4, and 25, diamond & punty, engraved centre, engraved Eastburn, engraved Parry, sharp diamond, spangle diamond (which is starred block or starred diamond), Nevins, Montreal (which is large hobnail), engraved floral, engraved brimmers, engraved letter & full wreath, and engraved letter & half wreath.
c1878 (continued) and c1880: Nelson, K. J., 1998: The Boston and Sandwich Glass Company catalog, c.1880: an introduction, 1998: The Acorn, Vol. 8, pp. 41-4. Pages of photographs begin on p. 45 and continue to p. 101. They can be divided into three sections, as follows:
(1) A continuation of the c1878 catalog from plate no. 81 on p. 81 to plate no. 98 on p. 98. Mostly plain ware; some hand-written ID numbers and coded prices for art glass, enameled ware, and acid-etched gas globes. No separate price list. Plus three unnumbered pages of acid-etched gas globes (pp. 99-101).(2) First section of the c1880 catalog from plate no. 1 on p. 53 to plate no. 28 on p. 80. These plates are lightly numbered in pencil and include pattern names, shape names, sizes, and coded prices, all added in script.
Cut-glass patterns include: Fryer, strawberry diamond, 7 row (of strawberry diamond, also called coarse strawberry diamond), best strawberry diamond, Baccarat strawberry diamond, Darling diamond, block diamond, star diamond (which is quarter diamond), sharp diamond, octagon diamond & rosette, octagon diamond, hobnail, block & block star, octagon diamond check (checkered?) (which is triple-mitered cane), no. 1000, and nos. 1, 2, 4, 6 (which combine individual motifs to form unique patterns in the manner of patterns designed during the brilliant period).(3) Second section of the c1880 catalog with plate no. 29 on p. 45 to plate no. 36 on p. 52. Only pattern name given is octagon diamond & rosette, but two such items also have "prism" added to their names; also shape names, sizes, and coded prices, all added in script.
NOTE: Errors in Nelson's 1998 article (above) include his remarks concerning the Russian pattern and "Phillip McDonald" (Philip MacDonald) on p. 42. Since 1997 we have known that MacDonald and his patent had nothing to do with the Russian pattern. Also, Nelson confuses the Russian pattern with Boston & Sandwich's Octagon Diamond & Rosette pattern. The items referred to by Nelson as Russian are actually cut in the Octagon Diamond & Rosette pattern and are so labeled in the catalog. No item in the c1880 catalog is labeled Russian which is an important point because the name was not used before 1881, and this fact supports Nelson's dating of the catalog. A slightly out-of-focus photograph of a pitcher in the Boston and Sandwich Glass Museum (fig. 6) is labeled Octagon Diamond & Rosette, but if the octagon diamonds are cut with single stars (as they appear to be), then the pitcher's pattern is Russian, and the item was probably produced later than 1880 and not necessarily by the Boston & Sandwich Company.
See also:
Barlow, R. E. and J. E. Kaiser, 1999: A GUIDE TO SANDWICH GLASS: CUT WARE, A GENERAL ASSORTMENT AND BOTTLES (1999) for individual items in black & white and color; also, by the same authors, A GUIDE TO SANDWICH GLASS in five volumes.
Nelson, K. J., 1992: Cut and engraved glass, in A CENTURY OF SANDWICH GLASS. Sandwich Glass Museum, pp. 18-21.
c1884 and 1886: The New England Glass Works. Complete photographic catalog with original prices. Notation in pencil on title page: "June, 1886" (copy at the Rakow Research Library, Corning). Cited by Wilson (1972, p. 365) who reproduces plate 8 and dates the catalog 1886. The catalog includes "pages supplementary to catalogue" as plates 13-16. Only this section, the supplement, can be dated 1886; the previous section of twelve pages, printed by a different company, was probably produced a year or two earlier (c1884). The etching of the factory on the title page is dated 1884; the company relocated to Toledo, OH in 1888. This catalog has not been reprinted. (Microfiche f-63C at the RRL.)
The inclusion of several "Special Patterns" in the supplement may represent prize winners or honorable mentions in the contest for new cut-glass designs that E. D. Libbey supposedly held in 1885 or 1886. W. C. Anderson is said to have won this contest with his Victoria pattern but this has not yet been authenticated. And there could have been more than one "winner". In general, the "Special Patterns" shown in the supplement are more elaborate than the patterns illustrated in the first dozen plates. They make considerable use of the Russian motif, except one pattern which is similar to the Victoria pattern and is probably a proto-type of it (items 188, pl. 13 and 173A, pl. 15). (Anderson filed his patent application on 26 Nov 1886.) The supplement also has an early use of the multi-pointed hobstar, both in the base (center) of a design (for example, items 34 and 36, pl. 13), and in a position removed from the base (item 175 A, pl. 15). Possibly these are the first instances of a catalog that contains use of a multi-pointed hobstar in an American catalog of cut glass. The supplement calls this type of hobstar a "glory star" (cf., British useage at this time). Plate 14 of the supplement, which does not show the glory star, has been reproduced in Revi 1965 (p. 21).
Cut-glass patterns include: "Medium cut stemware": L, M, N, O, and P patterns. "Rich cut stemware": strawberry diamond (A), hobnail diamond (C), hob and star (D) (which is the star & hobnail pattern), Russian (E), and Belgian (F) (which is the Moscow pattern); finger, 2 bands of 3 lines, block diamond, engraved 515 border, short flute, cut asters, Mitchell, fine lines, mitre finger, sharp diamond, rock crystal engraved and cut, nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, quarter diamond, block and split, light strawberry diamond, strawberry diamond heavy, light block diamond, block diamond heavy, no. 50, cut feather, cut knob, cut surface, cut and engraved, no. 6424, key border, lapidary, star bottom, 2 bands of fine lines, nos. 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, no. 6525, and cut veins. The Supplement adds: Russian and glory star, special patterns (various designs), large Russian, small Russian, strawberry diamond band, Russian and prism star, and special Russian.
c1885: Mt. Washington Glass Company. "A [photographic] catalogue reprint of the 1880's . . . " previously dated 1879-1880 by the Rakow Research Library. Reprinted by Leonard E. Padgett, 1976. Revised date is based on the presence of a patented Martin bowl (pat. no. 16,172 of 14 Jul 1885) and the death of A. H. Seabury, president, on 17 Jul 1887. The latter's name is printed on the cover but crossed out by hand (before reprinting) and replaced with T. A. Tripp, Pres. and A. Snow, Jr., Treas. The catalog's date will have to be revised (to 1886 or 1887) if other patented, illustrated shapes (for example those for the Tiffany and Lum shapes) are found to have had their patents issued later than 1885. Original catalog and price list (with pattern names) have been reprinted separately. Both publications are out-of-print. (Originals available at the RRL, together with their microfiche: catalog f-5594C and price list f-5612C.)
Cut-glass patterns include: strawberry diamond (also with fine, coarse), quarter diamond, hexagon diamond (which is hobnail), block diamond, no. 60 (which is star & hobnail), no. 60 and pillar, Russian, 2 cut hexagon diamond (which is double-mitered hobnail), 2 cut octagon diamond (which is cane), 3 cut octagon diamond (which is triple-mitered cane), no. 60 and prism, imperial (which is Persian), Russian and prism, Snow, Jenny Lind, no. 60 light cutting, no. 160 (which is Dorflinger's pattern no. 28), no. 150, table diamond, table and quarter diamond, Williams, cut G pattern, alternate block diamond (also with adjectives fine, coarse), no. 4046, fan diamond and prism alternate, fan, no. 60 and rings, Rockford, Fisher, Fisher diamond, engraved ferns, engraved leaves, engraved no. 7, engraved Tiffany, 2 rows hollows and ring, 3 splits and hollows, hexagon diamond and punty, new pattern, punties, cut plain, raised diamond (which is sharp diamond), spiral prism, fan diamond, strawberry diamond and panel, no. 11423 (also with adjective coarse), plain flutes, 3 cut lines, cut F pattern, no. 1478 (with adjectives fine, coarse), hollow flutes, engraved assorted animals, engraved no. 4051, engraved no. 4053, engraved no. 4073, cut border, engraved one initial (old English), engraved fern wreath, engraved daisies, silver diamond and flutes, engraved barometer, engraved happy thoughts, engraved Oscar Wilde, engraved hog, cut nos. 1, 2, and 3 (two different sets of patterns), polished engraving (Marguerite), checkered diamond and lens, silver diamond, silver diamond band, punties and ring, table diamond and punty, punty and split, Tripp, special, nos. 1, 2, and 3, reverse flutes, Emma, and engraved.
Updated 1 May 2006