Boston & Sandwich Glass Company

Boston & Sandwich Glass Company. It was a prominent American glass manufacturer founded in 1825 by Deming Jarves in Sandwich, Massachusetts. The company became a leading producer of high-quality pressed glass, revolutionizing the industry and making decorative glassware affordable to the middle class. Its operations ceased in 1888, but its innovative techniques and distinctive designs left a lasting mark on American decorative arts.

History

The company was established in 1825 by Deming Jarves, a former superintendent of the New England Glass Company in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jarves selected the site in Sandwich, Massachusetts due to its proximity to abundant cranberry bogs, which provided a local source of fuel, and its access to maritime transport via Cape Cod Bay. The firm quickly grew, employing skilled artisans from Europe and becoming a major economic force in the region, with its products shipped worldwide from the port of Boston. Despite facing labor unrest, including a major strike in 1887, and increasing competition from factories in the Midwestern United States like those in Ohio, the company closed its doors in 1888, ending over six decades of production.

Products and techniques

The company was renowned for its mastery of the pressed glass technique, which used a hand-operated lever press to force molten glass into intricate cast iron molds. This process, perfected by John P. Bakewell and others, allowed for the mass production of detailed, affordable glassware. While famous for pressed glass, the company also produced fine blown glass, cut glass, enameled wares, and cameo glass. It manufactured a wide range of items including tableware, lamps, candlesticks, and dolphin-shaped candy dishes. The distinctive Sandwich glass often contained a slight yellow or green tint due to impurities in the local sand.

Notable designs and patterns

Among its most famous patterns is the "Lacy" style, an early pressed glass characterized by intricate stippled backgrounds and geometric motifs like the Gothic arch. The company produced popular historical and pictorial patterns such as Ashburton, Bellflower, and Horn of Plenty. It also created celebrated salt shakers in shapes like log cabins and hen on nest dishes, which are highly prized by collectors today. Many pieces featured motifs from nature, including grapes, acorns, and oak leaves, reflecting the Victorian era's tastes.

Legacy and collections

The company's closure marked the end of an era for the Cape Cod town, but its legacy is preserved in major museum collections. Significant holdings can be found at the Sandwich Glass Museum in Sandwich, Massachusetts, the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Its innovative techniques influenced subsequent American glassmakers, including the Mount Washington Glass Company and firms in the Midwestern United States. The term "Sandwich glass" is now used generically by collectors and historians to describe pressed glass from this period, cementing the company's iconic status in the history of American industry.

See also

* Deming Jarves * Pressed glass * Sandwich Glass Museum * New England Glass Company * American decorative arts

Category:Glassmaking companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Category:Defunct manufacturing companies based in Massachusetts Category:1825 establishments in Massachusetts Category:1888 disestablishments in Massachusetts