Old South Jersey Glass & Antiques
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Basic South Jersey Glass Information
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Some Glass Photos
A brief look at South Jersey Glass
Glass was first manufactured in the state of New Jersey in 1739 by Casper Wistar in Salem County near Alloway. Glass was manufactured there until approximately 1781.This early operation was the first successful glass house in America.
18th century South Jersey, Wistarburg (chemically analyzed)
After the closing of the Wistar works just after the revolution, some workers from the Wistar glass works migrated to Glassboro and formed a business run by Solomon Stanger around 1780.The Stangers were to become very well known in the glass making industry through out the next 100 years. In Glassboro, Glass was manufactured for over 140 years. Over that time many other glass houses came and went! In South Jersey there were dozens of businesses making some sort of glass wares, Bottles, window glass, tableware etc.
As our young country grew early in the 19th century so did the demand for glass. Skilled glass Gaffers migrated to America to fill this need. With them came traditions from their native lands. Which included England, Germany, Italy and Spain to name a few. Workers came from all over the world to the new land with their skills. With this mix of traditions a style developed that is now called The South Jersey Tradition. This unique style of glass making and decoration was not limited to South Jersey. With this new demand for glass in our new country came many business opportunities. Therefore there were many glass houses in South Jersey and North Eastern America. Not all of them were successful. This forced the many workers to migrate from state to state seeking work. And migrate they did, They traveled all over the north eastern United States. Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maryland, New York and Ohio seeking work. Therefore the tradition moved along with these workers. But the majority of glass done in the South Jersey Tradition was made in Southern New Jersey. The "heyday "so to speak was from around 1830 to the 1890s. The era ended in the first part of the 20th century with the invention of the automatic bottle machine.
While all the methods of decorating glass had its origins from other countries the "Lilypad" is distinctly American. The lilypad decoration was done by a superimposed or Second gather of glass tooled into what we call lilypad .This was not the only thing done to add decoration to a piece! Feet were crimped, sometimes a second color was applied or glass of the same color applied in different fashions. Applications of threading or prunts were applied in various ways and in different colors. Sometimes (Rarely) a bird in the form of a chicken or swan was tooled from glass and added to the top of a lid as its finial! These are some of the basic things that make up the S.J. Tradition.
As to the different items that were made, well only your imagination or should it be said the imagination of the hundreds of glass blowers is the limit. If it could be made in glass it probably was. Bells, pipes, whistles, rolling pins, chains, canes, toy drums, witch balls and stands, swords, turtle door stops and powder horns just to name some. Not to be forgotten are all the pitchers, bowls, open salts, sugar bowls, candle sticks, compotes, vases, ink wells, mugs and scent bottles .And of course the thousands of widow pains, bottles and flasks of all types .The most predominant color used was aqua as it was color that came naturally with out mixing in any coloring agents. But all shades of Amber, green, blue and clear can be found. And rarely red or amethyst.
18th Century South Jersey, Probably Wistarburg
collecting South Jersey Glass
The saving of glass made by the glass Gaffers most likely started immediately. When a piece was brought home for mom or a loved one, it may have been put to use or it may have been put aside and admired. These wonderful "one of a kind" items that were put up on a shelf were the beginning of glass collecting. Many of these prize possessions were handed down as something special that dad or grandfather had made.
As early as 1900 people had started collecting Early American Glass. Some of the finest collections had been formed by the first quarter of the 20th century. While it seems that the collecting of South Jersey Glass was only done by a handful of people, its hard to understand why there was not more interest in this unique art form. Through the years things haven't changed too much. There are still people collecting but the numbers are few. Although it must be said that early South Jersey Glass is very rare and many people don't get a chance to see it unless they visit a museum or pick up a book. With antique collecting so popular these days it seems there should be more information available. With this site I'm hoping to create more interest in this very interesting subject.
Wistarburg 1739-1779 (chemically analyzed)
Rarity, Condition and Value
As was stated previously early South Jersey Glass has always been rare and hard to find. As we move into the next century it will be even harder to find. While new undiscovered pieces still seem to find their way into the market place the scarcity does not change. As a Antiques collector who was raised in a family that dealt in antiques. I have learned that if you are willing to invest and buy quality antiques, many quality items are readily available. But if its Early South Jersey Glass your seeking this is not always true.
Back in the 1920s and 1930s when the first collections were dispersed the prices of 18th and 19th century glass were very low. You could buy the finest South Jersey Glass pieces for less than a few hundred dollars. Most of those better pieces sold then are now in the hands of large museums like Corning , the Metropolitan in N.Y. or other large museums. In that early period most items sold for 10 to 50 dollars. Prices remained low for the most part for the next 60 years. In the last 5 years there has been a couple records set in American glass as in most categories of Antiques. But still for the most part Early American Glass is under valued in comparison with other categories of antiques. Its also much rarer than many other of the items collected.
When it comes to condition most collectors of early blown glass seek perfect examples. This should not be considered a fault but as time progresses these already rare objects will have to be accepted with varying degrees of damage if one is going to start a collection of any importance .Keep in mind many of the pieces made were for utilitarian use. Damaged pieces were not easily repaired and were usually discarded. Repairs have been acceptable for years on paintings and furniture and now they are being more accepted on pottery and on other objects as well. While there is no doubt that condition should effect value there is also no doubt that on the very rarest of pieces some minor damage should not effect the value at all! Rare surviving examples with extreme damage should still command a premium. Not everyone knows that all major museums with collections of American blown glass have pieces with varying degrees of damage. When it comes to one of a kind objects there must be a better understanding of the rarity and importance of these surviving examples.
update 6/1/09 I'm very happy to report that Since I first wrote this the prices on early blown South Jersey glass have continued to rise to all time records this includes rare piece with minimum amount of damage. I now no longer feel that this type of glass is unappreciated and under valued. Of course like all markets there are highs and lows as we all know so very well this past year! But hopefully South Jersey glass will be able to maintain its proper rank in the antiques world. I still hope that one day it will be recognized as true American Folk Art.. time will tell.
South Jersey, Possibly 18th Century
South Jersey Glass as Folk Art
Over the past twenty years in the field of Antiques collecting, Folk Art has received much attention. Objects such as weathervanes, decoys, redware and stoneware pottery and primitive paintings have seen auction prices rise to an all time high, with numbers reaching into five and six digit figures. Other things such as wood carvings and ordinary utilitarian objects also have been receiving much attention. With this taking place it must be noted that glass blown in early America in the South Jersey tradition should be among the other items mentioned. What is Folk Art ? "Everyday objects made by anonymous people using traditional decorations and self taught artists making things for their own pleasure" Early glass in the South jersey Tradition certainly falls into this definition. Hopefully this Wonderful art form will come into its own and be recognized as Folk Art at its best and become more equally valued! So here is a great field of collecting that still has a long way to go and should be considered a good value at today's prices.
19th century SJ Candle Sticks
RECOMMENDED READING
Below are some of the must read books out there on Early American Glass and Glass making. Some of these are out of print, but are available at most Libraries or Specialty used book stores.
American Glass by George and Helen Mckearin
200 Years in American Glass by George and Helen Mckearin
The Glass Gaffers of New Jersey by Adeline Pepper
Glass in Early America by Arlene Palmer
Pittsburgh Glass by Lowell Innes
American Bottles And Flasks by Wilson and Mckearin
New England Glass and Glassmaking by Kenneth Wilson
Old Glass Paperweights of Southern New Jersey by Clarence Newell
19th century South Jersey
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