Tumbler 1880 - 1888

This tumbler was made at the New England Glass Company, which operated from 1818 to 1888. It is made of glass, but it’s not just clear. Notice how the colour shifts from ruby at the lip to amber at the base. This was achieved by adding different metallic oxides to the molten glass mixture. Glassblowing is an exacting process. A craftsman gathers a glob of hot glass on the end of a pipe, blows air into it while rotating, and uses tools to shape the expanding bubble. For this particular tumbler, the blower would have had to be particularly skilled to achieve this controlled fade from dark red to amber. Glass like this speaks to the rise of consumer culture, and the ability of factories to produce decorative items for the rising middle class. It also reminds us of the skilled labor required for the production of these items. Appreciating these objects allows us to fully understand their meaning within society, which is much more than what meets the eye.