Hortensja Carnival Glass
During the 1920’s to 1930’s, carnival glass was manufactured not only in the United States and western Europe, but also in eastern Europe. Countries like Poland and what is now known as the Czech Republic produced some truly unique and beautiful pieces of glass which stand out among glass historians and collectors. One manufacturer which falls into this latter category is Hortensja carnival glass, located in the city of Piotrków Trybunalski, or more simply, Piotrków, in central Poland.
The history of Hortensja Glass dates back to 1907 when a former glass factory known as Anna Glass owned by Emil Haebler was purchased by a Belgian company. With the new financial backing, the former Anna Glass, expanded and was outfitted with updated, modern glassmaking equipment. As part of the company’s rebirth, it was renamed Hortensja, after one of Haebler’s daughters. Between 1908 and 1913, Hortensja Glass factory produced a wide variety of practical and decorative glass items, including: vases, drinking glass sets, decanters, and cosmetic holders. After briefly stopping production prior to the first World War, glassmaking finally resumed, along with a second expansion of the Hortensja glass company. By 1921, Hortensja Glass employed close to 500 glass makers.
Marigold was the most popular color found among Hortensja carnival glass, sometimes with a white frosted finish added, making it truly unique among the world of carnival glass. Some of the popular patterns of Hortensja carnival glass include tulips, fruits and flutes, Deco stripes, diamond cut, blackberry leaves, and palm tree. Some of the popular glass designers employed with Hortensja Glass were: Wiesław Sawczuk, Krystyna Tkaczyk, and Andrzej Tkaczyk.
One unusual aspect of the Hortensja carnival glass is that Art Deco designs were used in the creation of the pressed glass. In a number of cases, the exterior part of the carnival glass, such as a bowl or plate, often had a simple design, such as lines or scallops, while the interior bottom bore an intaglio with a more elaborate design, such as a palm tree or blackberry leaves, with a frosted glaze over the entire interior bottom. When held up to the light, however, the pattern can be distinctly seen, being intaglio. Due to the innovative design of such glassware, Hortensja soon received a number of awards for its carnival glass pieces.
According to the Los Angeles Times dated April 10, 1932, a thousand employees went on strike over a wage increase. Eventually, negotiations were made but not without the help of the Polish government intervening. By 1947, Hortensja, like many other companies in Poland, became nationalized. Following the era of carnival glass production, Hortensja continued to manufacture regular glass for home use, both kitchen and decorative such as vases. Cobalt became a popular color along with clear glass in the following decades. Of the six glass manufacturers in Poland in the 1960’s, Hortensja produced the most glass for the export markets, including the United States which became a primary recipient for drinking glasses and plates. During the 1970’s, Hortensja Glass had over 2,000 employees. But by the 1990’s, due to government ownership of the company, Hortensja was forced to close before the year 2000.
Image Credit: Przemek.Zborowski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
