Glass Information and Education

Glass in the 19th Century 1 2 3

For the first quarter of the century cut glass was the dominant fashion in Europe, and use of steam power enabled the glass-cutter to contreol the revolutions of his wheel with more precision than ever before, facilitating deep diamond cutting of great elaboration. It was only with the development of coloured glass in Bohemia and France that a different type of glassware began to rival the popularity of cut glass. After the Great Exhibition of 1851, while Continental glass-makers sought new directions, an origional and elegant style of engraved glass was developed in England, inspired by classical antiquity and the Renaissance. This refinement of style was also extended to acid-etching. As a result, by the 1860s England was once again in the forefront of the industry, a position that was to be maintained for the next twenty years.

Glass Information from The History of Glass by Dan Klein and Ward LLoyd