It has been ages since I posted anything new. Not for lack of acquiring stuff, just haven’t been able to get photos taken.
Took a road trip to Philadelphia and Baltimore and was able to pick up a few pieces. There are lots of great antique malls between here and there.
Having said that I can’t recall where I found this three part relish dish. While I am not really acquiring pieces with the Corn Flower cutting, I was intrigued with the shape of this dish. I really likes the ‘fish scales’ of the base.
Turns out this is a piece from Imperial Glass’ line #281 that was in production from 1953-1979. I found an interesting citation in the online database of the Museum of Dufferin. This is their description of this piece:
“A round, clear “Line 281” relish dish with 3 sections (CFID 281/3). This piece is cut with the “Corn Flower” pattern. It was sold by the W.J. Hughes “Corn Flower” Glass Company. The glass blank was produced by the Imperial Glass Corporation in Ohio, USA. The date of the cutting on this piece is unknown.
After WWII, glass blanks became more readily available from both European and American manufacturers. In an attempt to meet the new “modern” trend of simplicity over complex patterns, the W.J. Hughes “Corn Flower” Glass Company designed a line of new glass blanks with ample cutting space but fewer “Corn Flower” cuts. This glassware design was created by Fred Myers, part owner and Art Director of Walsh Advertising in Toronto. Walsh Advertising originally submitted three designs to the W.J. Hughes Company. The selected design was “Corn Flower Line 281”. This line only included tableware, plates, relish dishes and bowls.
In 1953, this new glassware was introduced as “Line 281”, produced by the Imperial Glass Corporation but exclusively carried by the W.J. Hughes “Corn Flower” Company. “Line 281” was sold from 1953 into the 1970s. Although designed and produced almost exclusively for Hughes Glass Company, it may be possible that these blanks were used by others. A request from another cutter to use “Line 281” would definitely have been denied, but Imperial Glass Corporation may have agreed to use “Line 281″ for silver overlay, since the two techniques (glass cutting and silver overlay) were not in competition.”
I have not yet been to this Museum to see their Corn Flower exhibits, but it is on my travel list for 2020.
I came across this piece in a local thrift shop. I always wonder how it made its way from West Virginia to a small Ontario town. But I guess during its 80+ years there was lots of time for travel. A poster in the Everyday and Elegant Glass Forum reports that this etch was introduced in 1933 and discontinued in 1939.