For years, we tried to get Kelly Conway, Curator of Glass at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA to make a presentation at a Symposium, but it never happened. Last year, Kelly Conway made the trip from the Chrysler Museum to become the Curator of American Glass at CMOG. Since she’s right in the building, she has finally agreed to talk to us! Kelly will make a presentation on the Union Glass Company of Somerville, Massachusetts, which overlaps in time with Steuben Glass Works. Union Glass Company made a wide range of glass from 1893 – 1927, including pressed, mold-blown and free-blown objects in colorless, iridescent, silvered and many colored varieties. Kelly will use a wide range of materials owned by CMOG, including catalogs, correspondence and identified pieces of glass to enlighten us on this competitor of Steuben.
The Carder Steuben Symposium will be held September 19 – 20 in Corning NY. Program and registration details can be found at www.cardersteubenclub.org.

From John A. Shuman III Collector’s Encyclopedia of American Art Glass

Acid Cutback – Steuben

This Steuben production was being made in limited numbers during the 1920s. There are about 400 different designs, comprising a total output of around 1800 pieces. Vases, bowls, urns, plates and candlesticks are the predominate items found.
The colored crstal usually includes two glass layers, the inner being cut away. Some Acid Cutbacks, however, are just one homogeneous mass. One portion may be glossy, while the other is acidized. In some instances the entire body is a flat finish. Designs are usually floral; the most desirable are animal and aquatic forms.

Most pieces appear to be unmarked. However, examples have been discovered with either the Steuben Fleur-de-Lis at the bases, or signed “F. Carder.”

Look for unique color combinations, massiveness, excellent sharp cutting, artistically conceived Grecian shapes, and Chinese and other motifs. Patterns were derived from negative etched glass plates that were inked and heated. The excess ink was scraped away. Then transfer paper was placed over the plate and rubbed carefully to pick up the designs. This moistened paper was peeled and applied to the glass object and pressed, giving the glass its intended pattern. After the transfer was peeled, the portions of the design not to be etched were coated with wax. The object was then dipped in acid for a limited time to achieve the proper cutting depth.

This art form is likely to command four figures because its desirability and relative scarcity.
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