What is stretch glass?
Not “free form” art glass!
Not “swung” vases or forms!
Not “stretched” bottles!
What is iridescent stretch glass?
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Press or blown-molded.
Spray iridized (doped).
Reheated and/or shaped after doping
to produce the “stretch effect.”
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Made between 1916 into early 1930s.
Generally characterized by lack of
complicated patterns!
Where did the name “stretch glass” come
from?
Berry Wiggins (glass historian and author) always
stated that Rose Presznick said, “This glass is
different from carnival glass because it has no
patterns and an iridescent effect that looked like
the stretch marks on a woman’s belly!!!”
A gather is taken
from a glass tank.
The “hot metal” drops
into the mold and is
cut off. This produces
the cut-off tail.
The mold with molten
glass is pushed under
the plunger which
forces the glass into
all parts of the mold.
The mold is pulled
back, opened and the
molded glass piece is
“turned out.”
The molded piece is
placed into a snap, a
metal rod with jaws
on one end that open
and close.
The snapped-up
piece is reheated
in a glory hole.
The reheated
piece is “doped”
(sprayed with a
metallic salt
solution.
The doped piece is
REHEATED (this
produces the stretch
effect).
After reheating, the
doped piece is
further shaped (this
enhances the stretch
effect).
The doped, reheated
and shaped piece is
put in the lehr to
remove internal
tension in the glass.
Carnival Glass and Stretch Glass
Carnival Glass
Take Gather
Mold
Snap Up
Reheat
Shape
“Dope”
Lehr
Stretch Glass
Take Gather
Mold
Snap Up
Reheat
“Dope”
Reheat
Shape
Lehr
So, is iridescent stretch glass really just
another form of carnival glass?
Let’s take a historical tour of
American Iridized Glass!
1881 Louis Comfort Tiffany patents his first
glass lustering technique. This glass was given
the name of Favrille and most was produced
between 1890 and 1918.
1903 Frederick Carder establishes the Steuben
Glass company in Corning, NY. Tiffany sues
Steuben in 1913 claiming patent infringements
through Steuben’s use of iridizing techniques.
Tiffany agrees in court that Europeans had been
iridizing glass before his patents and the case
was settled out of court.
1902 (October) - first trade articles
indicating that H. Northwood production
had begun in Wheeling, WV.
1904 (January) - Dugan Glass Company,
Indiana, PA began.
1904 - First Imperial Glass factory
production begins in Bellaire, OH.
1907 (January) - first piece of glass
comes through the Fenton Art Glass
Company lehr at Williamstown, WV.
1904 - a China, Glass and Pottery
Review article states that the reporter had
seen “iridescent vases” and added, “Of
the iridescent vases there is so great a
variety of colors and shapes to choose
from that one can hardly fail to make up
an assortment...” This was referring to
pieces that were later called Pompeian
and Venetian glass, blown molded pieces
infused with iridescent frit. These were
well illustrated in 1905 and 1906 Dugan
Glass Company advertisements.
Two Dugan Venetian vases, one in pale blue with iridized
frit and milk glass frit, one emerald green with iridized frit
and a darker frit.
1905 – Dugan introduces Intaglio Line, a
type of Goofus glass.
1906 – Northwood introduces Sateena
and Khedive lines, a Goofus glass.
1906 – Northwood introduces Verre D’or
and Intaglio lines (painted with a liquid
gold process).
1907 (January) – Dugan introduces
Filigree lines - like Northwood’s lines with
extensive gold decoration.
1907 - Fenton becomes the first to reach the market
with dope-iridized glass, most likely late in the year.
[Used names such as “Golden,” “Green,” “Royal
Blue,” “Violet,” “Red or Ruby.”
1908 (probably summer or fall) – Northwood
introduces Golden Iris line, most likely a marigold
treatment which is described in Northwood’s notes
as being made with ferric chloride.
1909 (October) – Imperial catalog page introduces
first iridescent ware called Rubigold (a marigold).
1909 (December) - American Flint article states that
Dugan has put out a new line called “Pearl Iris”
which is “iridescent effect on opalescent,..” (=peach
opalescent)
1916 (July) - Crockery and Glass Journal refers to
Northwood’s “assortment of Tiffany finish glass...”
1916 (mid-year) – Imperial introduces the Art Glass
Line (“Jewels” of today’s collectors): Pearl White,
Pearl Ruby, Pearl Amethyst, and Pearl Green.
1917 – Fenton introduces Florentine Line with:
Celeste Blue, Florentine Green, Persian Pearl, and
Topaz.
1921 – Diamond introduces: Harding blue, Golden
Lustre, Egyptian Lustre (with stretch glass
descriptions).
Notes: Knowing when true carnival glass began production, the question still remains,
“Did the glass companies differentiate stretch glass from carnival glass?” And, “Was
stretch glass production at a different time than carnival glass?”
The answer to the first question is pretty obviously – yes. Most of the glass houses
that produced doped ware had annual demonstrations of their new lines at the major
industry glass shows, especially in Pittsburgh, PA, but also in New York and Chicago.
These shows were covered by reporters that wrote articles for glass and ceramic trade
magazines. In these trade magazines new lines and names were emphasized. Major
wholesale distributors (mainly Butler Brothers) and mail order retailers often featured
lines of glass from various companies and decorating firms, but the names used were
often not the same used by the manufacturers.
By the time that stretch glass was produced, in the late 1910s into the early 1920s,
many of the larger companies were producing their own, well illustrated catalogs.
Catalogs, price listings and sales sheets have been found for stretch glass produced by
Northwood, Imperial, Fenton, and U.S. Glass. In these documents, it is clear that the
companies used different line names and color names to differentiate stretch glass.
One of the best documented companies is Fenton Art Glass, since they are still in
business and have never suffered from destruction of their business records through
take-overs or closings. Fenton has very good records of molds made and the years
that they were used. By looking at the molds made for carnival glass it becomes clear
that the hay-day of carnival production was from 1910 to 1915, but carnival molds
continued to be produced and used into 1926. This answers the second question!
While carnival glass production appeared to decline in the 1920s, when stretch glass
dominated, both were being produced.
Let’s look at just Fenton’s production:
1907 – first doped pieces (true carnival).
1908 – 4 “carnival” molds created
1910 – 17 new carnival molds
1911 – 32 new carnival molds
1912 – 15 new carnival molds
1913 – 1 new carnival mold
1914 – 8 new carnival molds
1915 – 10 new carnival molds
1917 – 2 new carnival molds
1917 – Florentine line introduced
1918 – 2 new carnival molds
1920 – 2 new carnival molds
Fenton’s production (cont’d):
1921 – 3 new carnival molds
1921 – Wistaria (sic) introduced (and likely
Ruby)
1925 – 3 new carnival molds
1925 – Offhand Art Glass produced (one
year)
1926 – Pastel Swan mold made (last of new
carnival molds)
1926 – Velva Rose introduced
1927 – Tangerine and Aquamarine
introduced
1932-33 – Dope-iridized production stops
Summary of American Iridized Glass
Production
True Art Glass:
Tiffany, Steuben, Durand, etc. (1890s
through 1930s)
Frit Iridized blown-molded glass:
Dugan (1904-1906)
Dope Iridized press-molded glass (true
carnival):
Fenton: 1907 to late 1920s
Northwood: 1908 to early 1920s
Imperial: 1909 to early 1920s
Dugan/Diamond: 1909 to late 1920s
Summary cont’d:
Dope Iridized press-molded glass reheated
(true stretch glass):
Northwood: 1916 to 1925
Imperial: 1916 to late 1920s
Fenton: 1917 to early 1930s
Diamond: 1921 to 1931
True Art Glass:
Imperial: 1923-24 – Freehand/Lead Lustre
Fenton: 1925 – Offhand pieces
Other Characteristics found in Stretch
Glass:
• Console Sets more common
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Most bowls came with separate
black bases
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Candleholders more common
Gold, enamel, acid etch and wheel
cut decorations common
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Greater range of base glass
colors
Central console set in
green.
Imperial #320 “double
scroll” console set in Ruby.
U.S. Glass #8076 plate &
#151 candleholders in
“coral”
US Glass #8076 bowl on stand.
Northwood custard bowl on high stand.
Imperial bowl in Green Ice on stand.
Fenton Velva Rose bowl on stand.
Fenton #604 punch bowls on high
stands and regular black stand.
In Florentine Green, Celeste Blue,
and Ruby.
Stretch glass decorated pieces.
Imperial handled server in Rose Ice
with floral cut decoration, Central
handled server with acid cut
decoration and gold paint, and
Lancaster bowl with enamel floral
decoration under an overall enamel
cover.
Imperial #727 11-inch cheese & cracker set in pink with
decal decoration.
Fenton “dolphin” pieces: #1504 low bowl in Velva Rose, #1602 crimped compote in
Florentine Green, #1608 compote in Aquamarine, #1533 candy jar in Topaz, #1503
“spiral optic bowl in Velva Rose, & #1533 “square” compote in Ruby.
Stretch Glass by Company
Notes: The following pages contain examples of the colors
and forms made by the major companies that produced
stretch glass.
It is recommended that you use some of your own pieces of
glass to show your audience the characteristics of stretch
glass, its colors and forms. Nothing can take the place of
up-close inspection!
Northwood’s line that included stretch glass was first called Satin
Sheen. This name was used in 1916. By 1920 advertising folders used
the names “Cobweb” and “Rainbow.”
Under Satin Sheen, descriptive names such as blue, and purple were used to
describe “Venetian Blue” and “Royal Purple.” “Pearl” was also used, and it is
assumed that this referred to a crystal stretch glass.
Under the Cobweb and Rainbow names, “Blue Iris”and “Blue Cobweb” with
“Topaz Iris” and “Topaz Cobweb” were terms showing up in pamphlets. In
1921, Northwood added “Jade Blue” (an opaque, light blue glass with light
iridescence), and in 1922 “Russet” (a unique yellow-green) was added. One
trade reference of 1923, referred to “white” iridescent pieces with black
decoration. A few rare opaque white stretch glass pieces, usually with black
enamel designs have been found. By 1924, only Blue and Topaz are listed in
catalog sheets as “transparent and iridescent” along with “Jade Green” and
“Chinese Coral” which were not iridized.
Beyond these known names, iridized and stretched pieces of Northwood have
shown up in custard (an opaque yellow), emerald green (bright, dark green),
crystal and marigold on crystal.
Northwood Stretch Glass Colors
crystal
Blue
emerald green
custard
Jade Blue
marigold
Russet
Topaz
Royal Purple
White (opaque milk glass)
Imperial used two distinctive sets of names for their “Art Glass
Line” (which is often called “Jewels” by collectors), and their “Satin
Iridescent Line.”
The Art Glass Line used names starting with “Pearl”:
• Pearl Amethyst – purple glass
• Pearl Green – ginger-ale glass with green iridescence
• Pearl Ruby – crystal glass with dark marigold
• Pearl Silver – dark purple glass with silvery iridescence
• Pearl White – crystal glass with white iridescence
The “Satin Iridescent” colors usually end in “Ice”:
• Amber Ice – amber base glass
• Amethyst Ice – purple base glass
• Blue Ice – crystal base glass with blue-gray iridescence
• Green Ice – blue-green (teal) base glass
• Iris Ice – crystal base glass with white iridescence
• Rose Ice – crystal base glass with marigold
Other stretch colors commonly seen but not named are:
• Ruby (or amberina) – red, or red to yellow base glass
• Marigold on Pink & Smoke on Pink – pink base glass
• Marigold on Milk & Smoke on Milk – opaque white base glass
Imperial Art Glass Colors
Pearl
Ruby
Amethyst
White
Silver
Green
Imperial Art Glass - small bowls
# 63 bon bon
# 64 bon bon
#65 flower bowl
#62 bon bon
Imperial Satin Iridescent (“Ice”) Colors
Amber Ice
Amethyst Ice
Iris Ice
Rose Ice
Blue Ice
ruby
Green Ice
smoke on pink
Fenton Art Glass Company introduced their Florentine Line in 1917
with the basic colors of Celeste Blue, Florentine Green, Topaz,
Grecian Gold, Persian Pearl, Ruby and Wistaria (sic). Over time, they
introduced Tangerine, Royal Blue, Aquamarine, Velva Rose and
Amber. These later colors were often produced for only a year or
two.
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Amber – light amber glass
Aquamarine – pale blue glass
Celeste Blue – nice clear blue glass
Florentine Green – light green glass
Grecian Gold – crystal with marigold iridescence
Persian Pearl – crystal with white iridescence
Royal Blue – dark cobalt blue glass
Ruby – red and amberina glass
Tangerine – yellow base glass with orange iridescence
Topaz – bright canary (vaseline) glass
Velva Rose – pink glass
Wistaria – purple glass
Fenton Florentine Line Colors (early colors)
Celeste Blue
Persian Pearl
Topaz
Ruby
Grecian Gold
Florentine Green
Wistaria
Fenton Florentine Line Colors (later colors)
Royal Blue
Aquamarine
Velva Rose
Tangerine
Amber
Diamond Glassware Company had changed its name from Dugan Glass by the time
they began production of stretch glass. Since we have few hard records from the
Dugan-Diamond operation, most information has come from trade journal
descriptions. It appears that Diamond used the term “Lustre” to refer to dopeiridized pieces, but “Rainbow Lustre” appears to have been more commonly
associated with what we would call stretch glass.
Egyptian Lustre is probably the most unique stretch color – black glass with
multicolored iridescence!
Other stretch colors known and names likely used are:
• After Glow – pink stretch (very rare color for Diamond)
• Amethyst, Twilight Wisteria – a light and medium purple glass
• Blue, Harding Blue, Vesuvius Blue – a Celeste Blue color
• Blue Crackle – a cobalt blue glass, often crackled
• Egyptian Lustre – true black glass
• Gold – a marigold-like iridescence
• Green – a Florentine Green color
• Pearl – crystal stretch
• Midnight Wisteria – a very dark purple glass
• “topaz” – a couple of pieces of vaseline-yellow have been found, but the
Diamond name is not known.
• “red” – a couple of pieces of ruby have been seen, but we don’t know
Diamond’s name for this. Most assume that they used “Ruby” as most
companies did.
Diamond Glass-Ware – stretch glass colors
Blue
Blue Crackle
After Glow
Green
topaz
Twilight Wisteria
Pearl
Gold
Egyptian Lustre
Midnight Wisteria
U.S. Glass was actually a consortium of several glass companies and trying to pin
down stretch glass production to one or more of these companies has been very
difficult. To make things worse, Tiffin Glass Company became a dominant office for
this company in the 1920s and 1930s and it is possible that the Tiffin company may
have used molds originally belonging to other companies! Research by Berry
Wiggins suggests that Factory K (King Glass in Pittsburgh, PA) may have been the
major producer of the consortium’s stretch glass. This consortium produced a wide
array of stretch glass colors, including unique opaque and translucent ones.
In U.S. Glass advertisements, the term “Aurora” effect appears to be associated with
pieces that fit the description of stretch glass. Advertising pages often note that the
pieces are available in blue, green, topaz and crystal “plain or iridescent.”
Common Transparent Colors:
• amber – a true amber glass color (actual name not found)
• Blue – a Celeste Blue type
• Canary & Topaz – a typical vaseline-yellow type
• Crystal – clear glass with white iridescence
• Green – a Florentine Green type
• light blue-green – looks like Fenton’s Aquamarine (actual name not known)
• olive-green – a true olive-green color, not like Northwood’s russet (actual
name not known)
• Pink – a Velva Rose type
• Purple – a light Wisteria-type glass
• Royal Blue – a light cobalt blue glass
U.S. Glass – transparent stretch colors
amber
Blue
Green
Crystal
Canary/Topaz
Pink
Royal Blue
Olive-green
Purple
light blue-green
U.S. Glass stretch glass colors continued –
Besides the transparent colors, U.S. Glass companies made an interesting array
of translucent and opaque, often slag-glass, colors. U.S. Glass also made a
couple of lines that have overall enamel applied to the back/outer surfaces.
Cumula refers to an enamel effect that looks like white clouds on a light green
background. Pomona can be either blue decal-like motif overlaid with yellow or
purple enamel. Other enamel decorations have been found, but with no
associated names.
Carrara also seems to be a name associated with the opaque, slag-glass types.
Translucent and Opaque colors known are:
• black amethyst – a really dark purple that appears black
• Jade Green – a translucent, bright green glass
• Mandarin Yellow – a translucent, bright yellow glass (this name may
refer to some other transparent color)
• Old Rose – a translucent, pink glass
Opaque-Slag colors known are:
• Coral – slag glass with pink to yellow tones
• Nile Green – slag glass with dark to light green spots and swirls
• Pearl Blue – pale cobalt blue glass with faint swirls
• Pearl Gray – cream to tan slag glass with brown swirls
• red slag – an ox-blood red slag glass (no name found)
U.S. Glass – translucent & slag stretch colors
black amethyst
Mandarin Yellow
(=yellow opaque)
Jade Green
(=green opaque)
Pearl Gray
Pearl Blue
Coral
Nile Green
red slag
Old Rose
(=pink opaque)
THANKS!