Hi Alan, Becky and I recently acquired a book titled English Cameo Glass by Ray and Lee Grover copyrighted in 1980. We were delighted to read in its Introduction the tribute to Frederick Carder. In anticipation of our Symposium, I thought I would share this early history of Carder. It reads:

“We must mention here one of the greatest men in glassmaking history in the world-Frederick Carder, born on September 18, 1863 in Brockmoor, Kingswinford, Staffordshire. His achievements have been discussed in our book ‘Art Glass Nouveau’, but we will again recall his early English training . Starting as a potter working for his father, who owned Leys Pottery, he then went to school in the evenings at Dudley Mechanic Institute for classes in chemistry, electricity and metallurgy as well as attending art classes at the Stourbridge School of Art. His time was spent most profitably. In 1878 after seeing John Northwood’s ‘Portland Vase’, Fred Carder decided he wished to learn the art of cameo carving. This decision changed his life.

In 1881 he started work for Steven & Williams as a designer, eventually becoming assistant art director. The year 1888 found him winning a silver medal for a vase design, ‘Cupid and Psyche’; in 1889 he won a gold medal in the National Competition for ‘The Muses’. In addition, about 1887 he had completed a great cameo plaque, ‘The Immortality of the Arts,’ which is now owned by The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York.

Before going to the United States in 1902, Fred Carder had visited Germany and Australia. In a report to the Staffordshire County Council, which had sponsored the tour, Carder commented on the widespread use of gas furnaces in the two countries. He mentioned that a German glass house was quit bearable-‘free from the vile , the insufferable temperature, and the still worse effects of sulfur which are always in evidence in English gas houses.’

His career in the United States is unprecedented in achievement. Cofounder in 1903, with T.G. Hawkes, of the Steuben Glass Company, Corning, New York, Carder became sole owner and headed that company until 1918, when his company became the Steuben division of Corning Glass Works, owned today by the family that acquired it then, the Houghtons. Carder continued his association with the company having his own studio laboratory at the plant. Today all his glass is avidly collected -a few of his special types were Aurene, Cire Perdue, Diatreta, Florentine, and Intarsia. He lived to be 100 years of age, still active, agile, and interested in his first love-glass.”

There are also 8 color photographs of examples of Carder’s cameo glass- vases, a plaque, and a jug- in the book, mostly from the Rockwell Collection.

Joe Marinelli