Tag Archives: Pressed Glass

Souvenir Toothpick Holder – 1901 Pan-American Expo

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by in Unknown Pressed

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I don’t often purchase souvenir items, but this was so cute.  It is etched with the words.  According to the etching it was made in Buffalo New York in honour of the 1901 Pan-American Expo.  The other side has been etched with the name ‘Anna Bella’.

I have no idea who produced the glass.

According to Wikipedia:

“The Pan-American Exposition was a World’s Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied 350 acres (0.55 sq mi) of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood Avenue and northward to Great Arrow Avenue. It is remembered today primarily for being the location of the assassination of United States President William McKinley at the Temple of Music on September 6, 1901. The exposition was illuminated at night. Thomas A. Edison, Inc. filmed it during the day and a pan of it at night.

The event was organized by the Pan-American Exposition Company, formed in 1897. Cayuga Island was initially chosen as the place to hold the Exposition because of the island’s proximity to Niagara Falls, which was a huge tourist attraction. When the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898, plans were put on hold. After the war, there was a heated competition between Buffalo and Niagara Falls over the location. Buffalo won for two main reasons. First, Buffalo had a much larger population—with roughly 350,000 people, it was the eighth-largest city in the United States. Second, Buffalo had better railroad connections—the city was within a day’s journey by rail for over 40 million people. In July 1898, Congress pledged $500,000 for the Exposition to be held at Buffalo. The “Pan American” theme was carried throughout the event with the slogan “commercial well being and good understanding among the American Republics.” The advent of the alternating current power transmission system in the US allowed designers to light the Exposition in Buffalo using power generated 25 miles (40 km) away at Niagara Falls.”

There are also quite a few websites and/or web pages dedicated to the Fair including:

https://www.trsite.org/learn/the-pan-american-expo

https://panam1901.org/

https://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/collection/LIB-005/

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=042e7edfcde44931bfe185d5bce9ae4b

https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/peter.html

This Fair was obviously significant in the history of Buffalo, New York.

I just wonder who ‘Anna Bella’ was.

United States Glass Crucifix Candlestick Holder

25 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by in U.S. Glass Factory C, United States GLass

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I have come across these crucifix candlestick holders in books, but never before in ‘real life’.  My children are Roman Catholics and I wondered if they would like to have this piece (they didn’t).  Oh well.

There is an appendix devoted to these crucifixes in volume three of The Glass Candlestick Book by Tom Felt and Elaine & Rich Stoer.  There are an astonishing number of variations on the theme.  Felt and the Stoers indicate,”Glass candleholders depicting the crucifixion of Christ originated with [the] earliest American pattern glass companies.  Boston and Sandwich, the New England Glass Company, McKee and many others from the New England, Pittsburgh, and Ohio areas produced them from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s.”

If you have a chance to review this appendix, it is highly recommended.  These candleholders have been lavishly photographed and some are very beautiful.

This particular piece was likely produced in Factory C – Challinor, Taylor – circa 1891-1919.  It came in three sizes and this piece is considered no. 4 sue to its height of 8 1/2 inches.

Felt & the Stoers comment that the rock-like base, floral design around the cup and wood grain of the cross make this one of the more ornate crucifix designs.

Update – Duncan & Miller (?) Georgian Pitcher

16 Sunday Aug 2020

Posted by in Duncan & Miller

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I have since verified that it is a piece of Duncan & Miller.

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August 9, 2020

I often see tumblers pressed in the honeycombed Georgian pattern.  A number of companies produced these tumblers and it is far beyond my ability to recognize whose is what.

I came across this pitcher recently and was struck by its rich colour.  I have never before seen a pitcher in this pattern.

I haven’t had any luck identifying it, but have seen a similar item online, in a different colour, identified as a piece by Duncan & Miller.  Would love to know definitively, if anyone has any info.