ACID ETCHED
By Bob Mueller

Those who collect Carder era Steuben glass likely have at least one piece of Mr. Carder’s most timeless and important techniques in their collection. That is, an acid etched piece.

Mr. Carder created 232 different designs, utilized a broad array of colors, then created quite a number of color combinations. On a large piece he sometimes even combined more than one design. As you can see the variations are enormous. You need to be a mathematician to figure the grand total of all the myriad of possibilities.

Before Mr. Carder came to America in 1903 acid etched glass was already very popular in Europe . Companies such as Galle , Stevens & Williams, Daum, Loetz, Webb & Sons, and maybe another five or ten companies were already doing some form of acid etching on their glass in the 1800s.

Mr. Carder started to use this technique in America in about 1906. When we examine his fabulous acid etched pieces and the great designs on them, perhaps his overall best in my opinion is Plum Jade. Those pieces with all the different Chinese designs just show us his great ability and sense of what the public would appreciate. http://www.kddk.com/alans/PlumJade.pdf

Some of the other great looks would include an ivory acid etched vase with the Stamford design that shows that soft and graceful design of leaping Gazelles, or the Hunting pattern done in black over alabaster, Bird Design #2 seen in Blue Aurene over Pomona Green. There are a few examples shown here but these examples are just scratching the surface of all his examples that are available. http://www.kddk.com/alans/acbs.pdf

Some of the fabulous colors in combinations include the jades and alabaster, mirror black over alabaster, quartz, and one we can’t forget, gold or blue Aurene with Alabaster, Pomona Green, Yellow Jade—take your choice.

For all the collectors now days and the collectors in the days to come, we all will always be able to look and appreciate what Mr. Carder did just a “few” years ago and now it is becoming that cherished piece for a collector’s Collection.

The three copies of factory records with acid etched designs I have attached show us the piece used, catalogue number-vase-bowl, height and different types of glass used with name of design, and cost, and possible use by art/lamp design. http://www.kddk.com/alans/factoryrecords.pdf

Bob Mueller
Osseo , Minnesota
June 24, 2009