Bust of Michael J. Owens

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Bust of Michael J. Owens

ManufacturerProbably A. H. Heisey and Company (American, 1893-1953)

Date1924

DimensionsH: 12.3 cm (4 27/32 in.); Base L: 13.2 cm (5 3/16 in.); Base W: 7.1 cm (2 25/32 in.)

MediumColorless glass.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Melvin B. Lee

Object number

1977.59

Not on View

DescriptionPressed, probably upside down, in a female mold of three sections by a plain male plunger that formed a hollow up to the shoulders, leaving the head solid. Acid-etched all over, inside and out, to produce a matte surface.

Label TextIn 1903 Michael J. Owens patented the first automated bottle machine in Toledo, Ohio. This machine brought on a technological revolution that changed the way products were made and consumed. Beverages, foods, pharmaceuticals, and numerous other goods could be packaged in glass containers of standardized sizes manufactured through high-speed production lines and brought into American homes. Thanks to Owens invention, products like soft-drinks and ketchup that were once considered luxuries became the ordinary necessities we purchase today. This cast-glass bust was made in tribute to Owens a year after his death and it stands as a testament to his impact as an inventor.Published ReferencesLindsey, Bessie M., American Historical Glass, Rutland, VT, Tuttle, 1967, pp. 460-461, no. 450.

Fauster, Carl U., "Bust of Glass Industry Pioneer Actively Sought," Collectors Weekly, January 5, 1971, p. 6.

Leviton, Dorothy S., "The Mystery of Mike Owens' Bust," Heisey News, March 25, 1974, p. 7.

Marsh, Dick, "Heisey Animals-Figurines: Mike Owens Bust," Heisey News, May 25, 1974, p. 5.

Fauster, Carl U., Libbey Glass Since 1818, Toledo, Ohio, Len Beach Press, 1979, repr. p. 108, bottom.

Spillman, Jane S., American and European Pressed Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning Museum of Glass Catalog Series, Corning, N.Y., Corning Museum of Glass, 1981, p. 341, no. 1335.

Wilson, Kenneth M., American Glass, 1760-1930: The Toledo Museum of Art, New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, [Lanham, Md.]: National Book Network [distributor], c1994; 2 v. (879 p.): ill. (some col.); 32 cm., 1994, p. 748, no. 1285.