Image Not Available
Spoon Holder
Manufacturer: Gillinder and Sons (American, 1861-1930)
Date: 1876-1885
Dimensions:
6 11/16 × 3 13/16 in. (17 × 9.6 cm); Base diam.: 3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm)
Medium: Colorless glass.
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Riegel
Object number: 1961.45
Label Text:The Pioneer, or so-called “Westward-ho!,” pattern showcasing the wilderness and the Native Americans encountered by early European pioneers was introduced by glassworks Gillinder and Sons at the time of the Centennial of the United States in 1876. Similar to the mid-1800s ideal of Manifest Destiny (the assertion that the United States would inevitably expand westward to the Pacific Ocean), the exterior relief designs on the compote, spoon holder, and footed cream pitcher displayed here illustrate a romanticized and stereotyped view of America’s westward expansion. By tapping into nostalgia for the days of European settlement of the country, the Pioneer pattern became one of the most popular glass patterns of the time.
The technique of using hydrofluoric acid to etch a matte finish on glass began about 1870 and continued to be used for the rest of the century.
The technique of using hydrofluoric acid to etch a matte finish on glass began about 1870 and continued to be used for the rest of the century.
DescriptionPressed upright in a female mold of three vertical sections bearing the Pioneer pattern and forming most of the side and the top of the foot, stem, and bowl up to the top of the band of decoration, with a base plate that formed the lower edge and bottom of the foot, with a cylindrical cap ring that formed the plain area of the bowl above the decoration and rim, by a plain male plunger. The moldmarks extend from almost the bottom edge of the foot vertically up the stem and through the bowl, each passing through the trunk of a pine tree. Rim fire-polished. Band of decoration afterward frosted by acid etching. No pontil mark.
On view
In Collection(s)