Dessert Dish 1875 - 1890

This dessert dish was made by George Duncan and Sons, sometime between 1874 and 1891. It is a piece of pressed glass, a technique that made decorative objects more affordable for the rising middle class. Made in the United States, these vessels reflect the Gilded Age: a time of rapid industrialization and growing disparities in wealth. Glass factories like Duncan and Sons capitalized on new technologies to mass-produce items that mimicked the luxury goods previously only available to the elite. Notice the delicate floral engravings and the classical head forming the stem – these details evoke a sense of refinement and taste, democratizing access to high-status design. To fully understand this object, one would need to delve into the company records of glass manufacturers, trade publications, and period advertisements. By exploring these resources, we can understand not only the technical innovations, but also the social aspirations that shaped the production and consumption of decorative arts in this period.