Depression Glass: The Macbeth-Evans Glass Company
The Macbeth-Evans Glass Company was located in Charleroi, Pennsylvania and started in 1899. The company later merged with Corning Glass Works in Charleroi by 1936, and prior to the merge, Macbeth-Evans created very fine glassware with beautiful designs. Before 1929, Macbeth-Evans made hand blown glass before the use of machines became popular, a method adopted by the company in 1930. The most popular color used in tableware was pink, and the glass made was thinner than other companies of the time and were thus more fragile. No candy jars, candle holders, cookie jars, or butter dishes were made by Macbeth-Evans. Pattern names were referred to by letter. Ruby red and Ritz blue colors were used in the 1930’s glassware, beginning with the American Sweetheart pattern.
Some of the patterns Macbeth-Evans created were:
American Sweetheart. Produced in pale pink, translucent white, with dessert sets produced in ruby red, Ritz blue, and crystal. The pattern was an elaborate design of lacy swirls, finely detailed and quite feminine, created from a mold-etched pattern. The translucent white, when held up to the light, had a faint bluish hue to it. This unique colored glass was sometimes called “Monax.” Plates, saucers, bowls, sugar and creamer sets, salt and pepper sets, tumblers, pitchers were created with this pattern. The dessert sets included plates, cups, saucers, sugar and creamer sets, console bowls, and tid-bit sets. American Sweetheart was referred to as the R-pattern and produced from 1930 to 1936.
Dogwood. Produced in pale pink, light green, crystal, with some pieces made in opaque white, this pattern is of dogwood tree blossoms as an overall design on the glassware. The pattern is mold-etched and was the first of this kind for Macbeth-Evans in 1928. A unique feature of this pattern is that the cream pitcher spouts were molded by hand, which is why no two are identical. Eventually this pattern was designed for machine production. The collection includes: plates, cups, saucers, bowls, platters, sugar and creamer sets, sherbet dishes, pitchers, tumblers, tid-bit sets and cake plates. Pink was the most popular color used but some pieces in other Macbeth-Evans colors exist. Dogwood was called the B-pattern and was produced from 1928 to 1932.
Petalware. Produced in pink, crystal, and Monax, this design consisted of petal shapes forming repeatedly around the edges of plates, bowls, cups, and other parts of the table service. Petalware is a pressed pattern and each item has a scalloped edge. No tumblers or pitchers were made for this set. In 1936 Macbeth-Evans came out with the same design in a ivory colored glass with pink, blue, and green pastel bands on it. Also that year the company added a gold band on the glassware. Petalware was produced from 1930 to 1936.
Stippled Rose Band. Referred to by the company as S-pattern, the design has a leafy design with scrollwork and roses against a granulated background. Produced in rose pink, topaz yellow, crystal, crystal with a gold band, crystal with a blue band, and crystal with a platinum band at the rim. A complete table service is available along with cake plates and tumblers. Stippled Rose Band was made from 1930 to 1932.
Thistle. Produced in rose pink and green, the pattern was of a thistle on plates and cups bearing the same shape as Dogwood. Thistle is a rare design as it was not popular and thus discontinued not long after its manufacture. Plates, cups, bowls, sugar and creamer sets, and sherbet dishes were made with the Thistle pattern. Thistle was produced from 1929 to 1930.
Image Credit: Naomi Paul va Flickr.
