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The Glass City Museum: How Edward Drummond

Libbey’s Glass Collection Started the Toledo Museum of Art

dward Drummond Libbey was quality glass production were readily
one of the most influential available, and he brought some of his
Eleaders who innovated the talented glassmakers with him.
manufacturing of glass and fostered its After a chance meeting, Edward
craftsmanship and design in the U.S. Libbey married socialite Florence Scott
His management style was based on the of Toledo in 1890, and the couple
powerhouses of the time—Rockefeller, went on to bring the economic and
Vanderbilt, etc.—but brought a level of cultural environment of the region to
support for his talented employees and all-new levels of success. In 1892, he
community that made this titan of changed the name of his business to
industry show the importance of art and The Libbey Glass Company.
involvement in a new way. This head of Medusa created
By the time Edward Libbey was in deep relief cut is a Libbey’s Legacy
born in 1854, the New England fragment of Cameo glass According to the book Edward
Glass Works (NEGW), located in from the 1st century CE, Drummond Libbey, American
Cambridge, Massachusetts had been measuring 2" high and Glassmaker by Quentin R. Skrabec, Jr.,
incorporated for over 40 years and was 1 5/8" wide. Made in “Edward Drummond Libbey was a
currently managed by Libbey’s father, Ancient Rome, the opaque glassmaker, industrialist, artist,
William L. Libbey. At that time, orange-yellow glass is on a innovator, and art collector. Both
NEGW was considered the largest background of obsidian practical and creative, he forever
glassmaking plant in the Western black glass. Gift of Edward changed the glass industry with the
Drummond Libbey.
hemisphere, employing an average of automatic bottle-making machine
Jug in the Shape of the Head of a
450 men, women, and children, many and automatic sheet glass machine. … Woman or Dionysos, attributed to the
of whom were considered the most the long career of Libbey, particularly Workshop of the Floating Handles,
skillful glassblowers of that time. his innovation of American flint Ancient Rome, from Syria or Palestine,
However, NEGW quickly began to cut glass, his contributions to the perhaps Sidon, c. first half CE
experience problems with its workers – middle-class American table through 1st century; purchased with funds
mainly, theft of ideas, items, and infor- affordable glassware, and his from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of
mation. In 1878 William Libbey enormous art glass and painting Edward Drummond Libbey.
leased the plant out and the glassmaker collections, eventually formed the
was down to one furnace and ten pots basis for the Toledo Museum of Art’s
in operation; three furnaces were idle. collection. Libbey single-handedly
In 1880, Edward D. Libbey became revolutionized glassmaking.”
a partner and continued to operate the Beyond his prowess as a man who
factory. His father passed in 1883, and Dating from about 578-629, “pioneered the role of the CEO,”
after several strikes, Edward vowed to this free and mold-blown Libbey had deep-seated love and
close the factory if one more occurred, hexagonal jar measures admiration for fine art and the
3 3/16" high and is a
and it did, and he did. Libbey was not transparent-to-translucent art of glassmaking. He continually
willing to give up his dream of creating dark brownish orange encouraged craftsmen and designers
a “Glass City,” and moved the business featuring six panels bordered to push their limits and fostered their
to Toledo, Ohio in 1888 where natural by recessed dots. Gift of education and development. Florence
gas and the type of sand needed for Edward Drummond Libbey. was one of the founding members of
the Toledo Art Museum which had

Cylindrical jug dating from the first half of its beginnings in 1883. Following the
the first century from Syria or Palestine, it is death of their only child at nine
translucent royal blue with a brownish-green months, the Libbeys threw them-
streak at the rim, created with medium thin selves into the world of art and travel.
glass and sporting one very large elongated From libbeyhouse.org/history-
bubble in the neck. Rim folded outward, the-libbeys, “in 1901, the Toledo
upward, and inward. The cylindrical neck Museum of Art (TMA) was founded
tapered slightly downward. Convex shoulder by a group of seven charter members This colorless Cristallo glass wine glass,
and convex bottom joined by a cylindrical including Mr. Libbey. The museum’s c. about 1650, features Fluted baluster
body. Bifurcated handle applied to shoulder building sits on the property of Mrs. stem, with two handles of thin glass
and attached to the rim with projecting Libbey’s father’s estate, given by the ribbons, was blown, mold-blown,
thumb rest above. Gift of Edward applied, and tooled in Venice, Italy, and
Drummond Libbey. Libbeys for this purpose. In order to a gift of Edward Drummond Libbey.

44 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles