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The New Bedford Museum of Glass

N E W S L E T T E RVOLUME 1, NUMBER 1 SPRING 2007

The Move to New BedfordThe Move to New BedfordThe Move to New BedfordThe Move to New BedfordThe Move to New BedfordThe organization formerly known as the Glass Art

Center and affiliated with Bradford College in Bradford, MA(until the closing of the school in 2000) has found a newhome. In the spring of 2006 the organization changed itsname to The New Bedford Museum of Glass and opened adevelopment office at 46 North Water Street, directly adja-cent to The New Bedford Whaling Museum. This move wasmade with encouragement from the late Louis O. St. Aubin,Jr., a leading authority on New Bedford glass who joined theMuseum’s board of trustees at the time of the move.

The decoration on the vase illustrated above can beseen as symbolic of the Museum’s relocation. Discovered bymember Ross Nelson, the vase was purchased for theMuseum’s collection at a small auction in Connecticut in thesummer of 2006. It was made by the Mt. Washington GlassCompany and ornamented by the Smith Brothers decorat-ing firm, both of New Bedford. The curious scene decorat-ing its side features a girl, a small dog, a road sign and agentleman wearing a bowler hat, all presented in the styleof popular English artist Kate Greenaway. Greenaway wasan illustrator of children’s literature and her work was widelycopied onto glass and ceramics. Several variations of thescene in question can be found. Some of these feature, asthe subject of the gentleman’s attention, a stork, a gaggle ofgeese or a scarecrow (see illustration page 2). This vase isthe only known example featuring a road sign, and the glassdecorator has whimsically inscribed the sign with the pro-phetic direction “TO NEW BEDFORD.” Research to identifythe specific origin of the scene is underway. Please contactus if you have any leads!

Before the Museum’s relocation to New Bedfordcould begin, extensive renovation of the new office spacewas required. This included the construction of a magnifi-

Smith Brothers Vase, c. 1885; Height: 7 3/4”; New Bedford Museum ofGlass Collection, acc. #2006.001. Museum Purchase

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cent floor-to-ceiling display case by trustee Edward Corrie.Construction expenses for the case were partially offset by agift from the Mt. Washington & Pairpoint Glass Society. TheMuseum also benefited from the generosity of member CarlF. Barron, who donated the impressive conference table andchairs that occupy the front room.

Highlights from the Museum’s 7000-piece collectionhave been installed in the office and span the world historyof glass from Classical antiquity to the present. Special em-phasis is given, of course, to products of the local glass in-dustry. In the late 19th century New Bedford’s Mt. Washing-ton Glass Company grew to become one of the most innova-tive and successful glass manufactories in the country. Spec-tacular lines of art glass, including Amberina (Rose Amber),Burmese, Peach Blow, Lava (Sicilian), Crown Milano and RoyalFlemish, were developed under the supervision of thecompany’s brilliant agent, Frederick S. Shirley. Examples fromeach of these categories are included in the Museum’s col-lection. In 1894 the company merged with a local silver-plating firm to become the Pairpoint Corporation, and an-other era of glassmaking creativity was launched. Pairpoint’sdecorated lamp shades (including the famous “Puffies”)gained international popularity and their tableware, vasesand candlesticks, often featuring the company’s distinctive“bubbleball” connector, have become highly prized by col-lectors of American glass. This glass, inspiring for its beautyand historical significance, merits preservation, study andcomprehensive display for the benefit of the public and forthe cultural enrichment of future generations.

In addition to housing a selection of items from theMuseum’s glass collection and more than 300 steelglassmaking molds, the development office also houses theVirginia Shaw Rockwell Research Library, containing 1,500

volumes in ten languages, 200 shelf feet of glass subject filesand a glass-related philatelic collection (postage stamps!) ofmore than 600 items. Virginia Rockwell was a dedicated glassscholar and early supporter of the Museum whose booksand papers form the nucleus of the library collection. An-other important component of the library comes from thefamily of the late Mrs. Warren P. Tingley, a noted collectorand authority on American historical glass. Mrs. Tingley do-nated her glass collection to the Museum in 1999 (see ar-ticle on page 8), and her two daughters donated her refer-ence library and research papers in 2003. They also gener-ously assisted the Museum with the purchase of book shelvesand filing cabinets for the new office. A third component ofthe library is widely known to Mt. Washington glass collec-

New Bedford Museum of Glass Collection. (Left) acc. #1999.066; (Right)acc. #2006.002. The right example featuring the scarecrow is signed“Smith Bros.” and was purchased with the “TO NEW BEDFORD” vase.

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tors as the Shirley Papers. This extensive collection of Mt.Washington Glass Company documents, a gift to the Mu-seum from the descendants of company agent Frederick S.Shirley, includes original glass patents, trade catalogs, cor-respondence, photographs, the company Articles of Incor-poration, the original medal awarded to the company at theCentennial Exhibition and even letters sent to the companyin 1886 by President Grover Cleveland and Queen Victoria.

Visitors to the office are welcome and appointmentsare recommended (please call us at 508-984-1666). Amongthe first to view the displays were the fellows of theWinterthur Program in Early American Culture, a graduateprogram run by the University of Delaware and the presti-gious Winterthur Museum. The group, led by WinterthurMuseum chief curator Brock Jobe, was on their spring fieldtrip when they stopped by on March 29, 2006. During theirvisit they enjoyed a short lesson in glass connoisseurshipfrom NBMOG director Kirk Nelson, himself a graduate of theWinterthur Program, Class of ‘83. Emily Davis and BeckyGarcia, both Class of ‘07, summed up the experience whenthey wrote in the Museum’s guest book “What an amazingresource!” and “Can’t wait for the Museum to be up andrunning!”

The function of the development office, apart fromproviding a temporary home for the organization, is to im-press visitors with the vital contributions that a fully-estab-lished glass museum could make, both to the New Bedfordcommunity and to the larger world of glass collectors, artenthusiasts, historians, students and the general public.NBMOG has made a strong start in the areas of preservation,research and publication. To fully realize our mission, how-ever, we must continue our search for a building with spacefor exhibition galleries, a museum shop and, eventually, a

Each year the Westchester Glass Club designatesa non-profit organization in the glass field as the re-cipient of proceeds from its annual glass show. Thisyear the award, amounting to $2,000, was made toThe New Bedford Museum of Glass. NBMOG directorKirk Nelson, receiving the award from show managerDouglas Reed, thanked the club for its generous sup-port, which has benefitted many worthwhile projectssince the inception of the show 31 years ago.

Funding from theFunding from theFunding from theFunding from theFunding from theWestchester Glass ClubWestchester Glass ClubWestchester Glass ClubWestchester Glass ClubWestchester Glass Club

studio for hot glassworking. Each expression of support wereceive moves us closer to this exciting and worthwhile goal.Please give us a call to schedule a visit! KJN

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Mt. Washington at the Centennial:Mt. Washington at the Centennial:Mt. Washington at the Centennial:Mt. Washington at the Centennial:Mt. Washington at the Centennial:Two Remarkable Discoveries from the Shirley PapersTwo Remarkable Discoveries from the Shirley PapersTwo Remarkable Discoveries from the Shirley PapersTwo Remarkable Discoveries from the Shirley PapersTwo Remarkable Discoveries from the Shirley Papers

The late Kenneth M. Wilson, formerNBMOG Vice President, makes referenceagain and again in his epic study Mt.Washington & Pairpoint Glass (2005),to the Shirley Papers. This extraordi-nary trove of original documents relat-ing to the Mt. Washington Glass Com-pany descended in the family of com-pany agent Frederick S. Shirley. Over aperiod of almost 30 years Mr. Wilsonmade frequent visits to Shirley familymembers to study the collection, andnew items were continually emergingfrom closets, desk drawers and atticboxes to enrich his understanding ofNew Bedford glass.

One item that first came to lightsoon after Mr. Wilson’s passing, on theoccasion of the collection being donatedin 2005 to The New Bedford Museumof Glass, is illustrated with detail en-largements above. It is a stereographicview of the Mt. Washington GlassCompany’s colossal glass fountain,which was erected at the Centennial Ex-hibition in Philadelphia in 1876. Mr.Wilson quotes a lengthy description ofthe fountain by J. S. Ingram, a contem-porary visitor to the exhibition (Cen-tennial Exposition, Philadelphia:

Hubbard Press, 1876, p. 283), but hewas not aware that a photograph of thefountain also survived. Indeed, no im-age of the fountain had been publishedin glass collecting literature before thediscovery of the remarkable photo-graph from the Shirley Papers.

Describing the fountain, Ingramwrote: “One of the most beautiful ob-jects in the Main Building was a crystalfountain, which every visitor to theMain Building must have noticed, andwhat was designed and exhibited by theMt. Washington Glass Company.... Thisfountain, forty-eight feet in circumfer-ence and seventeen feet high, was builtentirely of prisms of cut glass, whichreflected the changing light, and de-composed it into all the colors of therainbow. It was so arranged that at nightit could be lighted up by 120 gas-jetsconcealed within, and then, with softdazzling colors reflected from thecountless drops of water and flashingfrom the glittering prisms, it presenteda spectacle of fairy beauty almost be-yond imagination. The fountain wassurmounted by the largest crystal fig-ure ever made - a statue of Libertythirty inches in height, and without im-

perfection.... In the centre of the MainBuilding, the same company had an-other space, in which it exhibited manybeautiful samples of its products in cutand moulded glass, including chande-liers, busts, goblets, paperweights, andmany articles of beauty or usefulness.”

Other visitors to the exhibition, asMr. Wilson notes on page 74 of hisstudy, were less enthusiastic about thefountain. The official opinion, pub-lished in The United States CentennialCommission, International Exhibition1876: Reports and Awards (Philadel-phia: J. B. Lippincoott & Co., 1878, p.108), reads “A very large fountain incut lustres, about 15 feet high, with adiameter of 16 feet, is displayed not al-together successfully.”

A second stereographic photographfrom the Shirley Papers, illustrated onthe facing page with detail enlarge-ments, proves equally remarkable. Itshows a view of the Mt. WashingtonGlass Company’s booth display at theCentennial, this time illustrating thecompany’s celebrated crystal “toilettable.” The contemporary descriptionquoted below comes from Mr. Wilson’sstudy (originally published in the ar-

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ticle “Among the Glass Makers,” BostonTimes, June 10, 1876”), but, again, Mr.Wilson was not aware that a photo-graphic image of the table survived.

“The Mt. Washington Glass Workshave ingeniously interested all femaleeyes by placing at the very beginningof their exhibit a lovely toilet tablemade entirely... from... crystal.... Thelegs are upright scrolls of solid glass;these support a thick slab, on whoseunder surface geometric forms were cutand then coated with quicksilver so thatthe top of the table makes hundreds oflittle mirrors. From either side risehandsomely ornamented standards,and between them swings the loveliestplate-glass mirror.... A border of glassBlossoms has been fastened within theedge so ingeniously that they seem togrow there.... On the table are two jewelcases.... To show the skill of their en-graver there is a centennial goblet ex-quisitely decorated with wreathingvines and festooned cords. On an openspace a monogram has been cut, whilein the corresponding opening there isa perfect picture of the old indepen-dence bell, crack and all....”

Almost as exciting as the image ofthe toilet table is the appearance be-side it of a device known as a crystalfountain. Crystal fountains were pat-ented in England and licensed to James

W. Tufts & Company of Boston in 1871,which manufactured only the metalmounts and then assembled the foun-tains with marble and glass providedby specialized suppliers.

Surprisingly, the principle of thefountain’s operation, described in thepatent as “a simple law of hydrostaticspractically applied,” dates back to Clas-sical antiquity. Air pressure generatedby the weight of water held in the ba-sin is transmitted through a tube lead-ing to the upper globe. Water from theglobe is forced by this pressure up an-other tube in the fountain’s frame to anozzle mounted above the basin. Fromhere the water squirts up in a jet mea-suring about 8” high, seeming to defythe old adage that water never runs uphill. It then falls into the basin anddrains through a tube leading downinto the lower globe. The fountain playsfor approximately 15 minutes beforethe globes need to be rotated to repeatthe performance.

A trade catalog from the Tufts com-pany, dating to about 1881 and pre-served at the Boston Public Library,notes of the fountain that “the extremenovelty of its operation, with the ap-parent absence of motive power, addsvery materially to its attraction as anornament, and excites general surpriseand wonderment.” This sense of won-

derment translated directly into retailvalue, to judge from the prices listedin the catalog. The prices varied from$15.00 to $30.00 depending on deco-rative treatment and style. By compari-son, of the almost 2,000 items illus-trated in the c. 1878 trade catalog is-sued by the Boston & Sandwich GlassCompany, only 6 were offered for morethan $15.00, the most expensive beinga cut fruit and flower stand priced at

Crystal Fountain, James W. Tufts & Co., Boston,with glass by the Mt. Washington Glass Co., NewBedford, c. 1880, Height: 21”; NBMOGCollection, acc. #2004.116. Museum Purchase

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Memorial Gift from theMemorial Gift from theMemorial Gift from theMemorial Gift from theMemorial Gift from theNew Bedford Preservation SocietyNew Bedford Preservation SocietyNew Bedford Preservation SocietyNew Bedford Preservation SocietyNew Bedford Preservation Society

The New Bedford Preservation Society has donatedfunds to underwrite the purchase of two whimsicalBurmese glass pigs in memory of the late Louis O. St. Aubin,Jr. Mr. St. Aubin was serving as a trustee of The New BedfordMuseum of Glass when he passed away last summer at age57. In making their donation, the Society noted his speciallove for Burmese glass and his delight with the Victorianholiday tradition of the “Peppermint Pig,” a colorful treatthat symbolized happiness and prosperity. Mr. St. Aubin

is remembered as a leading authority on New Bedford glass,the founder of the Mt. Washington & Pairpoint Glass Societyand an enthusiastic advocate of the new glass museum.Together with his partner, William Pitt, he donated thedisplay cases housing the Museum’s exhibitions at CityHall (see articles on pages 8 & 12). The Burmese pigs, whichare included in the City Hall display, might have beenmade during the late 1880s, when Burmese was firstproduced by the MWGCo. They also might date to the1930s revival of Burmese by the Pairpoint Corp. or the1950s revival by the Gundersen-Pairpoint Glass Co.

Colonial Ware & Crown MilanoColonial Ware & Crown MilanoColonial Ware & Crown MilanoColonial Ware & Crown MilanoColonial Ware & Crown MilanoGift from MembersGift from MembersGift from MembersGift from MembersGift from Members

Kenneth & Sylvia Lyon!Kenneth & Sylvia Lyon!Kenneth & Sylvia Lyon!Kenneth & Sylvia Lyon!Kenneth & Sylvia Lyon!

$25.00. This was at a time when the average laborer earned$1.00 per day. Mr. Tufts, in his 1893 “Letter to the Trade,”quoted Motley, the Historian: “Give us the luxuries of life,and we will do without the necessities.”

Few crystal fountains survive, and the ruby-plated ex-ample illustrated on page 5 is the only cut example cur-rently known. At the time the NBMOG purchased it, the at-

tribution of the fountain’s glass components was a mater forspeculation. The Boston & Sandwich Glass Company of Sand-wich, MA and the New England Glass Company of East Cam-bridge, MA were leading contenders. Now, however, follow-ing the discovery of the Centennial display photograph inthe Shirley Papers, the Mt. Washington Glass Company canbe moved to the top of the list. KJN

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“Footnotes”“Footnotes”“Footnotes”“Footnotes”“Footnotes”From the Virginia Shaw Rockwell Research LibraryFrom the Virginia Shaw Rockwell Research LibraryFrom the Virginia Shaw Rockwell Research LibraryFrom the Virginia Shaw Rockwell Research LibraryFrom the Virginia Shaw Rockwell Research Library

Compliments to author Dorothy Daugherty for her bookCelery Vases: Art Glass, Pattern Glass, and Cut Glass (Atglen,NY: Schiffer, 2007), a copy of which was donated to theLibrary in gratitude for assistance provided during Ms.Daugherty’s research. The author recently donated herremarkable collection of celery vases to the West VirginiaMuseum of American Glass.

The Library is grateful to Lois Hirschmann and AndreaNatsios for their donations of catalogs published during the1980s and 1990s by auctioneer David Arman. Ms. Natsioshad a near-complete run of Arman paperweight sales, andMrs. Hirschmann had a near-complete run of Arman glasssales excluding paperweights. You do the math!

Contemporary glass artist Richard La Londe has donateda copy of Richard La Londe: Fused Glass Art and Technique(Freeland, WA: Ozone Press, 2006). The book describes andillustrates glass-fusing techniques and features an illustrationof artist Edris Eckhardt’s 1970 gold glass composition“Midnight Bouquet” from the NBMOG collection. Thisstunning piece will be illustrated in a future edition of theNewsletter focused on pioneers of the studio glass movement.

Mary Bancroft has donated a number of originalPairpoint factory documents in memory of her late husband,Sean, who supervised the pressing department at the factoryfor many years. Included are photographs used to makePairpoint company trade catalogs, a copy of the oversizedGundersen Guild marketing catalog and, most importantly,an original price list for the c. 1885 Mt. Washington GlassCo. trade catalog. This is the large catalog reprinted by authorLeonard Padgett in 1976.

Carl F. Barron has donated a group of books and auctioncatalogs relating to Chinese glass and snuff bottles.Particularly informative is the 1995 study A Chorus of Colors:Chinese Glass from Three American Collections, publishedby the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Jeff and Beverly Evans of Green Valley Auctions, Mt.Crawford, VA, are recognized for generously providing theLibrary with complimentary copies of their impressive glassauction catalogs. Indispensable reference material!

Trustee Edie Lawson has donated a variety of glass-related ephemera gathered during her various trips abroad,together with the beautifully-illustrated book La Ragnatela(2001) written by Rosa Barovier Mentasti, which traces thehistory of the “filigrana” or filigree techniques practiced bythe Italian masters.

Author Thomas P. Dimitroff has donated a copy of hisbeautifully-illustrated and scholarly book, Frederick Carderand Steuben Glass (Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1998), the definitivestudy of this important subject.

The Fairy Lamp Club, founded in 1996, donated a copyof the comprehensive study Fairy Lamps by Bob and Pat Ruf(Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1996) following the club’s visit to theNBMOG development office last year.

Carmen Freeman has donated a large group of glasscompany trade catalog reprints, rich cut glass publicationsand an original copy of Palmer Cox’s The Brownies at Home(1893). Palmer Cox illustrations occasionally were used asdecorative motifs on Mt. Washington glass. Today thesepieces are greatly revered by collectors.

From Shirley Smith and Shirley Salanon the Library hasreceived welcome glass ephemera for its subject files,including, from Ms. Smith, an attractive small catalog ofblown and sandblasted work by artist Preston Singletary(Preston Singletary, Seattle, WA: Blue Rain Gallery, n.d.).

Alice Walsh has donated a copy of the scarce Glass Todaycatalog published by The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in1997. The New Bedford Museum of Glass (incorporated atthe time as The Glass Art Center of Bradford College,Bradford, MA), lent a work by Edris Eckhardt to theaccompanying exhibition.

The Museum has purchased a rare first-edition copy ofReminiscences of Glass-Making by Deming Jarves (Boston:Eastburn’s Press, 1854). Jarves was the founder of the Boston& Sandwich Glass Company and personally inscribed thiscopy “With compliments of the author.” It comes from thelibrary of the late Vincent Ortello, past president of theWestchester Glass Club.

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lection over a three-decade period. Shewas particularly inspired by two publi-cations, American Historical Glass byBessie Lindsey (1967) and The Ameri-can Story Recorded in Glass by TracyMarsh (1962). These books served asuseful checklists during her frequentcollecting forays and as a starting-pointfor her research, which was recordedon small hand-written notes kept withthe glass. Special strengths in theTingley collection include 19th century

NBMOG Installs AmericanNBMOG Installs AmericanNBMOG Installs AmericanNBMOG Installs AmericanNBMOG Installs AmericanHistorical Glass at City HallHistorical Glass at City HallHistorical Glass at City HallHistorical Glass at City HallHistorical Glass at City HallOn March 12th The New Bedford

Museum of Glass held an opening re-ception for its loan exhibition “OurNation’s Heritage in Glass,” which con-sists of more than 500 examples ofAmerican historical glass installed atNew Bedford City Hall. Mayor ScottLang was in attendance and warmlypraised the extensive display, whichpresents an exciting and distinctive les-son in American history to City Hallvisitors. All of the items on view arefrom the collection of the NBMOG.

As part of the opening eventMuseum director Kirk Nelson gave alecture reviewing highlights from thecollection and describing progress inthe Museum’s effort to relocate to New

Bedford from its previous home atBradford College in Bradford, Massa-chusetts.

The loan exhibition wasprompted by the donation to the Mu-seum of nine large display cases fromtrustee Louis O. St. Aubin, Jr. and hispartner William Pitt. Lacking space tohouse the cases in the Museum’s devel-opment office at 46 North Water Street,Mr. Nelson proposed to the Mayor thatthey be installed at New Bedford CityHall with glass from the NBMOG collec-tion. The result stands as one of themost extensive displays of Americanhistorical glass ever mounted.

Most of the items on display arepart of the 1,500-piece collection do-nated to the Museum in 1999 by thelate Mrs. Warren P. Tingley. Mrs.Tingley was a tireless student of Ameri-can glass and history who built her col-

Grover Cleveland Plate by Gillinder, c. 1884,Dia. 11 1/2”; NBMOG Collection, acc.#1999.134.0251. Gift: Mrs. Warren P. Tingley

New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang beside theBicentennial “76” platter by Sydenstricker,Brewster, MA, Dia. 12 1/4”; NBMOG Collection,acc. #1999.061. Gift: Mr. & Mrs. Ross G. Nelson

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political campaign glass, glass from the1876 Centennial Exhibition and the1893 Columbian Exposition, Bicenten-nial glass and glass commemoratingpolitical figures and historical events.

Particularly impressive are thefour portrait plates depicting the can-didates of the 1884 presidential elec-tion: the victorious Democratic ticketof Grover Cleveland and ThomasHendricks, and the defeated Republi-can ticket of James Blaine and JohnLogan. The plates were pressed byGillinder & Sons of Philadelphia and arecelebrated for the exquisite detail andartistry of their moldwork. Glass Histo-rian Melvin P. Lader, in his article “Clas-sic: A Study in Early American PatternGlass” (Glass Club Bulletin, Fall 1990),describes them as “the climax of themoldmaker’s art in the glass industry.”Two of the plates are signed by the moldengraver, Philip Jacobus.

Grover Cleveland items havebeen highlighted in the City Hall exhi-bition due to the special relevance thispresident holds for New Bedford glass.In 1886 Cleveland was married at theWhite House to Helen Frances Folsom.To celebrate the event the Mt. Wash-ington Glass Company sent the newly-

wed couple four decorated vases intheir recently-introduced Burmese artglass. Cleveland acknowledged the giftin a letter written on June 12, 1886. Itreads “On behalf of Mrs. Cleveland andmyself, I acknowledge with sincerethanks the receipt of four beautifulvases as your wedding gift to my bride.They are highly prized as evidencingthe kindly consideration of the com-pany, while they illustrate the perfec-tion and excellence of its manufacture.”The original letter, a cherished docu-ment preserved by the family of com-pany agent Frederick Shirley, was do-nated to the Museum in 2005 and isincluded in the City Hall exhibition.

Although most of the displayeditems were made by glass companies inPennsylvania and surrounding states,a few originated at the Mt. WashingtonGlass Company. One of these is apressed opaque white glass bell with ahandle design suggesting a chain. Thebell is embossed “1776” and was madeto commemorate the United States Cen-tennial. Also of Mt. Washington manu-facture are two egg-shaped salt shak-

Above & right: Details from the Hendricks,Logan and Blaine plates by Gillinder & Sons,together with a detail of the embossed signatureappearing on the Blaine plate. NBMOGCollection, acc. #1999.134.0252,1999.134.0250, 1999.134.0248. Gift: Mrs.Warren P. Tingley

Right: Letter written by President Cleveland tothe Mt. Washington Glass Company; NBMOGCollection, acc. # 2005.253.062.1-2. Gift fromthe family of MWGCo agent Frederick S. Shirley

Lower right: Grover Cleveland paperweight,Midwest, c. 1884, Dia. 3”; NBMOG Collection,acc. #1999.134.1261. Gift: Mrs. Warren P.Tingley

ers embossed “Columbian / Exhibition/ 1893.” One of these has the mislead-ing mark “Libbey Cut Glass Toledo, O.”stamped in red on the underside. Themark does not indicate factory of ori-gin, but, instead, designates productsordered by the Libbey company fromother factories for retail sale at the 1893Chicago World’s Fair.

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Another fascinating Mt. Washing-ton example is decorated with the im-age of a rather severe-looking woman,skirt hiked immodestly above her kneesas she strides forward carrying anAmerican flag. The figure undoubtedlywas intended as an unflattering sym-bol of the woman’s suffrage movement,which pursued the right of women tovote in national elections. The move-ment became especially active in the

last quarter of the 19th century but didnot achieve its goal until the passing ofthe 19th Amendment to the Constitu-tion in 1920.

Also relating to women’s his-tory is a glass tray pressed by a Mid-western company to commemorate theonce-famous Nellie Bly. In 1889 a news-paper company (the New York World)sent a woman reporter from their staffon a trip around the world. Her goalwas to beat the fictitious travel recordsuggested by author Jules Verne in hisstory “Around the World in 80 Days,”published in 1873. The reporter, Eliza-beth Cochrane (1864-1922), submitted

a popular series of reports during hertrip under the pen-name “Nellie Bly”because it was considered improper fora female newspaper writer to identifyherself to the public. Cochrane de-parted from New York on November14th, 1889, and completed her trip in72 days, six hours and eleven minutes.During her career she distinguishedherself as a pioneer of investigative re-porting and a leading advocate ofwomen’s rights.

The historical glass display atCity Hall features literally hundreds ofitems with equally-fascinating stories.These items will be illustrated and dis-

Clockwise from top: Hand bellHand bellHand bellHand bellHand bell, MWGCo, c.1876, height: 5”, gift of Mrs. Warren P. Tingley,acc. #1999.134.0073; MugMugMugMugMug (inverted LibertyBell shape), Gillinder & Sons, 1876, height: 311/16”, Museum purchase, acc. #2003.020;Salt shakersSalt shakersSalt shakersSalt shakersSalt shakers, MWGCo, 1893, lenght: 2 5/8”,Museum purchase and gift of Mrs. Warren P.Tingley, acc. #2001.029 & 1999.134.0125;White Lusterless vaseWhite Lusterless vaseWhite Lusterless vaseWhite Lusterless vaseWhite Lusterless vase, MWGCo, c. 1880,height 5 7/8”, Museum purchase, acc.#1999.082; B i centennia l paperwe ightB icentennia l paperwe ightB icentennia l paperwe ightB icentennia l paperwe ightB icentennia l paperwe ight,Toledo, OH, 1976, diameter: 3 3/8”, gift ofKaren Petraglia, acc. #2004.050; “Nellie Bly”“Nellie Bly”“Nellie Bly”“Nellie Bly”“Nellie Bly”dishdishdishdishdish, Midwestern, c. 1890, length: 12 3/4”, giftof Mrs. Warren P. Tingley, acc. #1999.134.0260

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cussed periodically in future issues ofthe Newsletter.

The New Bedford Museum ofGlass is grateful to many individualswho assisted with the City Hall instal-lation. Trustee Edward Corrie helpedrenovate and move the display casesso generously donated by the late Mr.St. Aubin and Mr. Pitt. New BedfordDirector of Tourism Arthur Motta de-signed the wonderful banners mountedabove each case, City PreservationistAnne Louro worked as a liaison be-tween the Museum and the City, AHA!(Art, History, Architecture) directorMargie Butler helped publicized theexhibit, UMass-Dartmouth art gallerydirector Lasse Antonsen loaned the dis-play pedestal featured prominently inthe front hall and Mayor Scott Lang sup-ported the project with enthusiasmfrom its inception. Most importantly,the Museum celebrates the memory ofMrs. Warren P. Tingley. Mrs. Tingley’sdedication to the study of Americanglass and history resulted in the ex-traordinary collection that so perfectlycompliments its current installation atthe seat of local government. NewBedford City Hall is open to the publicMonday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. KJN

Clockwise from top: “U.S.F. Constitution”“U.S.F. Constitution”“U.S.F. Constitution”“U.S.F. Constitution”“U.S.F. Constitution”traytraytraytraytray, Boston & Sandwich Glass Co., c. 1835,length: 7 1/16”, gift of Robert D. & Margaret K.Keller, acc. #2005.146; American historicalglass collector Mrs . Warren P . TingleyMrs . Warren P . TingleyMrs . Warren P . TingleyMrs . Warren P . TingleyMrs . Warren P . Tingley;Previously unrecorded W a s h i n g t o nW a s h i n g t o nW a s h i n g t o nW a s h i n g t o nW a s h i n g t o nstatuettestatuettestatuettestatuettestatuette, maker unknown, c. 1880, height: 71/2”, Museum purchase, acc. #1999.196;Display caseDisplay caseDisplay caseDisplay caseDisplay case with Bicentennial glass at CityHall; “Lafayet” [sic] boat salt dish“Lafayet” [sic] boat salt dish“Lafayet” [sic] boat salt dish“Lafayet” [sic] boat salt dish“Lafayet” [sic] boat salt dish, Boston& Sandwich Glass Co., c. 1830, , length: 3 5/8”,gift of Judi Marx & Elaine Tater, acc. #2003.027;T e r r e s t r i a l g l o b e c o v e r e d d i s hT e r r e s t r i a l g l o b e c o v e r e d d i s hT e r r e s t r i a l g l o b e c o v e r e d d i s hT e r r e s t r i a l g l o b e c o v e r e d d i s hT e r r e s t r i a l g l o b e c o v e r e d d i s h,Midwestern, c. 1900, height: 9 1/2”, gift of Mrs.Warren P. Tingley, acc. #1999.134.0326. Anexample of the globe, with its distinctive bustof Columbia finial, was featured as thefrontispiece illustration for Bessie Lindsey’sbook American Historical Glass (1967). It isconsidered one of the great icons of the genre.

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Museum’s New Bedford GlassMuseum’s New Bedford GlassMuseum’s New Bedford GlassMuseum’s New Bedford GlassMuseum’s New Bedford GlassDisplayed at City HallDisplayed at City HallDisplayed at City HallDisplayed at City HallDisplayed at City Hall

In addition to the exhibit of American historical glass describedon page 8, NBMOG has installed a large case of locally-made glass atNew Bedford City Hall. This display became an instant favorite withCity Hall visitors and workers due to the rich colors and delicatedecorations of the many items shown. Included are Mt. Washingtonsugar shakers and syrup jugs donated by Carl F. & Ruth L. Barron,Burmese glass donated by Gordon Rockwell and The New BedfordPreservation Society, Smith Brothers glass donated by John Lavasseur,Lois Hirschmann and Roberta Sawyer, Pairpoint Ruby Twist glassdonated by Jay & Micki Doros and Mr. & Mrs. Ross G. Nelson (seeillustration below), and other fine Pairpoint and Gundersen donationsreceived from Edward Corrie, Ralph & Elinor Saarinen, Phil Gardella,Kirk Nelson, Michael Jodoin and the family of Nicholas Rodrigues.

Glass Press, acc. #2000.133NBMOG Collection, gift of Kirk J. Nelson

Currently on loan to The Bennington MuseumHeight: 6 feet, 3 inches

Weight: very heavy

The New BedfordThe New BedfordThe New BedfordThe New BedfordThe New BedfordMuseum of GlassMuseum of GlassMuseum of GlassMuseum of GlassMuseum of Glass

Newsletter Vol. 1, No.1© Spring 2007

OfficeOfficeOfficeOfficeOffice46 No. Water St.

New Bedford, MA 02740508-984-1666

Executive Director/Executive Director/Executive Director/Executive Director/Executive Director/Newsletter EditorNewsletter EditorNewsletter EditorNewsletter EditorNewsletter Editor

Kirk J. Nelsonknelson@nbmog.org

PresidentPresidentPresidentPresidentPresidentNancy K. Griswold

Vice PresidentVice PresidentVice PresidentVice PresidentVice PresidentPhillip E. Chasse, Jr.

TreasurerTreasurerTreasurerTreasurerTreasurerValerie Kelly

ClerkClerkClerkClerkClerkNancy Marsden

TrusteesTrusteesTrusteesTrusteesTrusteesMary Jean Blasdale

Edward CorrieEdie Lawson

Edward MeyerKaren Petraglia

William PittArt Reed

Alice Walsh