Entertaining and Decorating with Stretch Glass

by Cal Hackeman, Treasurer, Stretch Glass Society

 

American iridescent stretch glass brings color and excitement to your home entertaining and provides just the perfect splash of color when decorating your home. Produced by a variety of glass makers, Stretch glass brings warmth, glimmer, and texture to every room.

Stretch and Color

Nearly every color you could desire was created during the 50-plus years of stretch glass production in the United States from 1912 to the mid-1930s and from 1980 to 2011. The range includes brilliant blues and reds to captivating oranges, stunning Topaz, peaceful greens, and pinks. Deep cobalt and black stretch glass contrast with crystal, ivory, and other softer colors.

Bowls, plates, center-handled servers, candleholders, compotes, vases, and other specialty items found in many of these colors, and many more, are available for use today by the color-focused homeowner and designer. Few other types of glassware can be found in such a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes.

Rainbow glass, as some stretch glass was called after 1912 when it was first introduced, aptly describes one of the distinguishing features of this rather unique glass. The iridescence is applied during the process of making a piece of stretch glass when it is sprayed onto the hot glass, or “doped.” The iridescence reflects the colors of the rainbow when light hits the finished glass. However, the color of the glass is also always visible. Thus, the iridescence enhances the color of the glass.

Nine American glass companies, including the Fenton Art Glass Company, produced an extensive array of this handmade iridescent glass which was intended for at-home entertaining and decorating as well as giftware for special occasions. The four other companies that produced the most stretch glass were the Diamond Glass-Ware Company, Imperial Glass Company, H. Northwood & Company, and the United States Glass Company (later reorganized and named the Tiffin Art Glass Company in 1963).

The Best for Socializing and More

In the 1920s, lemonade sets, luncheon plates, salad bowls, serving plates and bowls, and even a bowl especially for mayonnaise were available for those hosting lunch or other daytime social events for friends. Dozens of styles of candleholders, console bowls, vases, candy jars, and other items for adding color to homes were also offered for sale.

For the lady of the house, a wide range of cologne bottles, powder puffs, bath salt jars, and more could bring color and prestige to her vanity while the smokers of the day enjoyed stretch glass cigarette holders, ashtrays, cigarette boxes, and there were other specialty items, even a shaving mug!

The Gap in Producing Stretch Glass

The first use of iridescence was introduced by Tiffany and Steuben art glass, but their glass was fine, delicate, blown glass, individually created and pricey. Stretch glass, in contrast, is always molded. Sometimes the hot glass is pressed in a mold and other times it is blown into a mold, but it is always shaped in a mold before it is finished by hand, including re-shaping or otherwise being modified such as adding a handle or decorative edge treatment. While the original run of stretch glass would include the Roaring ’20s and the early 1930s, the Great Depression made luxuries a thing of the past for most, and production of stretch glass ceased to be followed by the mass production of Depression-era glassware.

But stretch glass was not done! In 1980, The Fenton Art Glass Company introduced a line of pink (Velva Rose) stretch glass and it was a hit. In the years to follow, they would produce Stretch glass in nearly 30 colors, many different from the array of colors produced 60 years earlier. This Stretch glass was intended for a similar audience – home entertainers and those who decorated with particular colors. Stretch glass was featured on QVC and sold in gift and jewelry stores by authorized Fenton Glass dealers. Much of the Stretch glass made after 1980 still resides in the homes of the original purchasers and continues to accent their homes with touches of color, iridescence, and style.

Because of the iridescence on stretch glass, the “patterns” were kept clean and uncomplicated, allowing any item to be about the color as much as its shape. So, while lifestyles have shifted, the huge variety of stretch glass makes it perfect for entertaining and decorating in the 2020s just as it was in the 1920s – from Edwardian to Mid-Century Modern, the 60s Generation to Millennials, Gen-Xers and beyond, this glass has a way of bringing out the best in any setting.

The Market for Stretch Glass

Stretch glass, like glass, china, and other items from various eras, is a desirable and much sought-after collectible. Auctioneers frequently offer it for sale, antique mall dealers include it in their offerings, it is sold on eBay and Etsy, and from time to time it even shows up for sale in house, garage, and yard sales. But it is much more than an antique or collectible due to the promotional activities of The Stretch Glass Society, the only club exclusively devoted to promoting and preserving stretch glass.

Today, anyone can purchase stretch glass in sufficient quantity and variety to be able to utilize it once again for entertaining friends and for in-home decorating. Bowls, center-handled servers, candleholders, and plates are among the more readily available items in today’s resale market. With a few of these, your buffet table will take on a whole new look as will your home once you add a Stretch glass epergne, basket, vase, candy jar, or candleholders. Stretch glass, for the most part, remains relatively affordable for those who seek to incorporate it into their lifestyles.

For more information on American iridescent Stretch glass, visit www.Stretchglasssociety.org or join the Stretch Glass Society Facebook group. The Stretch Glass Society is currently marking 50 years of promoting and celebrating American Stretch Glass and encourages you to see what you are missing by not having stretch glass in your home and on your table.