Flower Holder
1887 (design registered)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
These flower holders were one of many types of press-moulded glass container that were cheaply made, and became widely available and popular, in the 19th century. Although described as flower holders, these are as much ornamental novelty items as functional objects. This is one of a pair with C.48A-1983.
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.
Makers
About 1765 George Sowerby established two glasshouses, called the New Stourbridge Works, making general goods in Pipewellgate, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. His son John joined him in the business in the 1820s, and about 1850 they moved to Ellison Street, near to the North-Eastern Railway, just as production of machine-pressed glass was beginning to develop. The company made its own metal moulds, and expanded the number of furnaces and the range of products. John Sowerby was followed by his son John George in the 1870s, while other Sowerby relatives joined and then left the company, setting up their own glassworks nearby. By 1882 the Newcastle Daily Chronicle claimed that the Ellison Street Works was the largest glassworks in the world. It made 150 tons of finished goods each week, and the factory worked continuous shifts, 24 hours a day, all year round. In one shift of seven hours each man could produce from 1100 to 1200 tumblers. In addition, Sowerby & Co. was responsible for many new inventions in glass, from types and colours of glass to mechanisms for producing it.
These flower holders were one of many types of press-moulded glass container that were cheaply made, and became widely available and popular, in the 19th century. Although described as flower holders, these are as much ornamental novelty items as functional objects. This is one of a pair with C.48A-1983.
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.
Makers
About 1765 George Sowerby established two glasshouses, called the New Stourbridge Works, making general goods in Pipewellgate, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. His son John joined him in the business in the 1820s, and about 1850 they moved to Ellison Street, near to the North-Eastern Railway, just as production of machine-pressed glass was beginning to develop. The company made its own metal moulds, and expanded the number of furnaces and the range of products. John Sowerby was followed by his son John George in the 1870s, while other Sowerby relatives joined and then left the company, setting up their own glassworks nearby. By 1882 the Newcastle Daily Chronicle claimed that the Ellison Street Works was the largest glassworks in the world. It made 150 tons of finished goods each week, and the factory worked continuous shifts, 24 hours a day, all year round. In one shift of seven hours each man could produce from 1100 to 1200 tumblers. In addition, Sowerby & Co. was responsible for many new inventions in glass, from types and colours of glass to mechanisms for producing it.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Press-moulded glass |
| Brief description | Flower holder in shape of shoe |
| Physical description | One of a pair of flower holders in the shape of shoes |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Marked with a peacock head and a diamond registration mark for November 1887, both moulded |
| Credit line | Gift of M. J Franklin |
| Object history | Made by Sowerby & Co., Ellison Glassworks, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear |
| Production | Design registered in 1887 |
| Summary | Object Type These flower holders were one of many types of press-moulded glass container that were cheaply made, and became widely available and popular, in the 19th century. Although described as flower holders, these are as much ornamental novelty items as functional objects. This is one of a pair with C.48A-1983. 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. Makers About 1765 George Sowerby established two glasshouses, called the New Stourbridge Works, making general goods in Pipewellgate, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. His son John joined him in the business in the 1820s, and about 1850 they moved to Ellison Street, near to the North-Eastern Railway, just as production of machine-pressed glass was beginning to develop. The company made its own metal moulds, and expanded the number of furnaces and the range of products. John Sowerby was followed by his son John George in the 1870s, while other Sowerby relatives joined and then left the company, setting up their own glassworks nearby. By 1882 the Newcastle Daily Chronicle claimed that the Ellison Street Works was the largest glassworks in the world. It made 150 tons of finished goods each week, and the factory worked continuous shifts, 24 hours a day, all year round. In one shift of seven hours each man could produce from 1100 to 1200 tumblers. In addition, Sowerby & Co. was responsible for many new inventions in glass, from types and colours of glass to mechanisms for producing it. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.48-1983 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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