These are people having fun.

These are people having fun watching glass being made.

These are people having fun looking at and talking about Steuben glass — at our annual CSGA Symposium!

The history of Loetz is an interesting story of a glasshouse with a curious name – Johann Loetz Witwe.  Loetz began as a family business and rose to become one of the greatest glassworks in Bohemia and Central Europe.  Our Symposium speaker, Karen Beeman, will endeavor to describe the firm’s journey from its inception until its final closure after World War II.

After Johann Loetz passed away, his widow Susanne, together with her second husband, purchased a glassworks company in Klostermühle in what is now the Czech Republic.  The company was renamed “Johann Loetz Witwe,” meaning “Johann Loetz’s Widow.” Under Susanne’s management, the company thrived.

In 1879, Susanne transferred the glassworks to her grandson, Maximilian von Spaun. One year later von Spaun hired Eduard Porchaska, and the two of them modernized the factory and introduced new patented techniques and processes. This collaboration led Loetz Glassworks to create glass which won awards at major expositions, including a Grand Prize at the famous Paris World’s Exposition in 1900.

About the Speaker: Karen Beeman, along with her husband Cyrus have been avid glass collectors for over 40 years. Along with collecting American and European glass, they were glass and porcelain Antique Dealers doing business as The Gilded Plate. Karen is retired from a career in maintenance, engineering and procurement in the oil industry as well as an antiques dealer. Karen currently serves as the Carder Steuben Glass Association President.