Boat

Object Type
Glass containers in all sorts of fancy shapes were used to display flower posies on the dinner table.

Materials & Making
The technique of press-moulding glass with the aid of a hand-operated machine was first perfected in the United States of America in the early 1820s. It took only two people to shape a measured quantity of hot glass in a heated metal mould. By simply depressing a lever, a metal plunger was lowered into the glass, forcing it into the patterned mould. By the 1830s this method had spread to Europe and Britain, giving rise to stylistic changes and revolutionising the availability of glassware. The technique made the mid- to late 19th century the first period of true mass production. In the 1890s the introduction of steam-powered presses improved quality while cutting costs even further.

People
The firm of 'Edward Bolton, Oxford Lane Glass Works' in Warrington, Cheshire, was a family-run glassworks of considerable size. In 1885 it had at least four furnaces working, supporting a large home market as well as trading abroad.

Design
The pattern is made in imitation of expensively cut lead glass. Pressed glass never rivalled the prismatic brilliance and precision of real cutting, but it provided a cheap substitute, affordable to all but the poorest.