Paperweight c. 19th century

This glass paperweight featuring a flower was made by the Compagnie de Saint Louis. The Compagnie de Saint Louis was part of a wave of 19th-century French firms that created paperweights that became popular as luxury items in the 1840s. These objects served a practical function, but they were also decorative pieces that showcased the artistry of glassmaking. The rise of glass paperweights, especially in France, reflects broader trends in industrialization and consumer culture. The glass factories, like Saint Louis, were able to use new technologies to mass produce such items. The production of these paperweights contributed to France's reputation for luxury goods and craftsmanship. To fully appreciate such works, historians consult pattern books, company records, and period advertisements to reconstruct the market and meaning of these once-ubiquitous objects. Only then can we understand the paperweight’s place in 19th-century society.