STEVENS & WILLIAMS GLASS
By Bob Mueller

Stevens & Williams Glass Company of Moor Lane , Brierley Hills , England would prove to be one of the longest lasting glass companies that Mr. Carder and Steuben Glass Works would have to compete against. In 1877 Stevens & Williams was lead by John Northwood. He set the standard for the development of hand carved cameo glass with his duplication of the famous “Portland Vase” from the first century.

This vase set the competitive pace for European glass companies. By 1880 part of Stevens & Williams team included who else, but Frederick Carder.

The 1870s would be the golden age for cameo glass. This would include companies like Webb & Sons, Galle , Daum and Loetz, as they competed with Stevens and Williams.

At this time there were few glass companies in the Americas , besides the cut glass companies. So, Stevens & Williams focused on their European competition

But then in 1903 Mr. Carder would leave Stevens & Williams to go to the United States to start the Steuben Glass Works. The glass he created at Stevens & Williams would influence the types of glass he would develop at Steuben, along with similar names, but enough differences that Mr. Carder could call it his own. Items that were made at Stevens & Williams and a few other European glass companies would show vast differences by the time Mr. Carder would produce them at Steuben Glass. Whether cameo, opalescent glass, silveria, mat su no ke, Moss Agate, Alexandrite, jades, Cluthra, pate de verre and cire perdue, Mr. Carder developed them to the highest standard at Steuben Glass Works.

Mr. Carder was neither the first nor the last to take an example of another type of glass and try to redefine it. But if we took a look at Lalique, Galle, Webb & Sons etc we would also see types of glass that seem to look like items made by other glass companies before that glass company made them.

I feel Stevens & Williams set the level for all glass companies in the 1870s. The glass was absolutely some of the finest. Just to think that Mr. Carder was a key part of Stevens & Williams when they were at the top of their “game” and then went on to create the same standard at Steuben.

See attachments at link

http://www.kddk.com/alans/Stevens_Williams.pdf

Bob Mueller
Osseo , Minnesota
April 2 2010