Saturday, July 9, 2011

Jeannette Glass Company - A Little History

Jeannette Bottle Works began operation in the late 1880s in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. In 1898 the company became Jeannette Glass Company. They produced handmade bottles, jars and dishware.

The company began production of prism glass in 1917. Prism glass was used to increase light exposure. This division of the company was sold in the mid-1920s. Improvements made to the factory, included converting it to a pressed glass facility. This allowed the production of Depression-era kitchen glassware.

In 1924 Jeannette Glass was touted by the glass trade as "one of the most complete automatic factories in the country".

In 1927 Jeannette Glass started making green and pink glass automatically in a continuous tank, a first!

Jeannette Glass Company introduced 14 Depression glass patterns from 1928 to 1938. Some of Jeannette patterns include the popular Adam and Iris & Herringbone, Cherry Blossom, Hex Optic, Cube (a/k/a as Cubist), Poinsettia or Floral, Sierra, Doric, Sunflower, Windsor, Doric & Pansy, Swirl, Homespun, and Sunburst.

Colors used in Jeannette’s Depression glass include pink, green, a teal green color called ultramarine and iridescent. They manufactured not only dinnerware patterns, but a wide array of kitchen glassware as well.

During the 1950s Jeannette introduced Cameo Glassware consisting of exquisite traditional styling in gleaming milk white. Jeanette’s most popular milk glass is the Shell Pink line. Made in the late 1950s for a short time, this line incorporated many different patterns and mold shapes in pale pink milk glass.

Jeannette Glass Company hit a low point in production during World War II, but bounced back as the war ended. They purchased the McKee Glass Division of Thatcher Glass Manufacturing in 1961 and were known to operate the "world’s largest electric glass furnace for melting heat-resisting glass in the early 1960's.

In 1970, the company’s name changed to Jeannette Corporation. They ceased production and closed the factory in 1983.

The picture below is some example of Jeannette Glass dinnerware.

Jeannette Glass Floral (a/k/a Poinsettia) Pink Creamer, Sugar Bowl w lid

1 comment:

  1. When were their blue/green acorn oak leaf candy dishes made?

    ReplyDelete