When was milk glass made

But your grandmother likely remembers it well-it sat on her bedside table, she might have had a milk glass reading lamp, or a tremendous white punch bowl that seemed to glow like an opal may have been in her kitchen. And maybe her grandmother fastened collar to blouse each morning with a couple of steel pins, each one tipped with a lustrous milk glass teardrop-pins she kept scattered on a milk glass dresser tray.

Creating opaque white glass is an ancient art , since similar vessels were made as early as B. But the term "milk glass" almost always refers to the white glass that was popular from through the s in America and England.

It arrived on waves of technical innovation: The most significant contribution of the United States to glass production occurred in the s, when machinery to press molten glass into metal molds was invented and perfected. In the early factories, molten glass was dropped into heavy iron molds.

A worker then lowered a plunger to force the molten glass into every interstice and corner of the mold. To create milk glass, early manufacturers added arsenic to their standard glass recipes, which yielded a faintly grayish but nicely opalescent effect.

Later, they used tinoxide, feldspar, and other additives to achieve a more saturated ivory hue. Milk glass originally appeased an expanding middle class who aspired to the finer things in life.

The best way to get an idea of the value of your piece is to run a simple Ebay search of recent auctions or consult an appraiser. Here are some things to consider when identifying and estimating the value of your milk glass:.

Dusty Old Thing. Thanks to a frenzy of mass production during the s and s from companies such as Anchor Hocking, Fenton, and Westmoreland, the mid-century finds are readily available today—many for mere milk money. Here are some pretty pieces to add to your own collection.

In the s and s, milk glass vessels were florists' go-to. Introduced by Fenton in , the look quickly became synonymous with milk glass design. Banana Stands Victorians wanted a dish for everything; bananas were no exception. Pitchers Decorative pitchers recall a time when lingering around the dinner table was the norm.

Punch Bowl A party staple of the s, punch bowls are highly coveted by today's collectors. Cruets Made to hold oil and vinegar, cruets were popular during the Victorian era and saw a resurgence during the s.

A Victorian British blue pressed milk glass "Griffins" vase. A pair of Victorian British white pressed milk glass "Griffins" vases. A blue milk glass spill vase with hand design. Made by French company Portieux , pattern number A 'Louis XV' white milk glass creamer jug with pink paint or enamelling. View Details. A Victorian black British pressed milk glass bowl. A Victorian blue pressed milk glass basket shaped bowl.

A Victorian white pressed milk glass basket shaped bowl. A Victorian blue pressed milk glass bowl. A Victorian black pressed milk glass spill vase.