Hello everyone!  Fall is once again here, bringing crisp evening temperatures and beautiful changing leaves.  It’s a great time to appreciate your Gold Aurene pieces which seem to be specially made for this time of the year.  With fall comes the reminder to please renew your membership in the Carder Steuben Glass Association for 2024 (or to join us for the first time!)  Your club membership is important to enable us to keep the website active, bring the Gazelle Gazettes to your inbox, and support our organization’s mission to encourage the knowledge, appreciation, and love of Steuben glass.

Inflation has increased the price of many things, but our membership remains the same!  The dues of $35 for one person, or $55 for a two-person household will keep you as active members through December 31, 2024, and give you access to all of our club benefits including membership in the Corning Museum of Glass.  It’s easy to renew your membership online by visiting the CSGA website here.  You can make your dues payment either through PayPal or by mailing a check.  The detailed instructions are available on the website.

At our Symposium last month James Measell shared his detailed research on the connection of glass workers in England to the early days of Steuben Glass in the United States.  His presentation was a thrilling story of immigration, unions, and the struggle to create a new glass shop in Corning, NY.

James described Frederick Carder’s experience in England and the circumstances that led him to choose to immigrate to the United States.  Carder then tried to quietly arrange for skilled English glass blowers to come to work at his factory.  He was hoping to avoid using union labor by hiring the English workers, who had the skills and experience needed to produce the glass he envisioned.  However, Carder’s plan was thwarted by the American Flint Glass Union leadership who learned of the plan and tipped off U.S. Immigration officials.  In their communication they provided details of the worker’s names, appearance, and itineraries, and evidence that they hoped would result in the deportation of the workers.  From a letter to immigration officials: “This evidence will enable your subordinate to eject these men and return them to their country, until they are willing to come here free and independent of such tyrants as operate glass factories at Corning N. Y.”  Indeed, the glass workers made their way across the Atlantic to Canada, and then to the United States at Malone, NY where they were intercepted and denied entry into the country.

James researched newspapers, archives, and materials from both sides of the Atlantic to put the story and timeline together.  It was a fascinating look into the early period at Steuben Glass, and to appreciate the Steuben startup story from the labor side.

Wow!  We were happy to see pictures of glass pieces that are tied to the Bolislav Manikowski drawings we saw at Symposium.  CSGA member Dick Weerts shared this in the CSGA Facebook group:  “At the symposium I saw where they presented some drawings from Bolas Manikowski….looks like there was also a Plan #3 with 4 arms…attachments just a little different.”  What a great comparison to see the pencil drawing and a photo of the resulting object side-by-side.

If anyone else has pieces to share, we would love to post them. Sharing is part of the learning process for us all! Email us at gazette@steubenglass.org.