Tumbler

Object Name:

Tumbler

Object ID:

2022.004

Place of Origin:

Suncook, NH

Date:

1839-1850

Description:

Tumbler. Aquamarine blown glass, cylindrical body, with pontil on bottom. Made at Chelmsford Glass Company, Suncook Glass Works, Pembroke, NH, 1839-1850. Oval paper label adhered to side, written in pencil by author/collector George S. McKearin: "Suncook, N. H. / c. 1839-50 / (Sack Auction) / 1929".

Material:

Glass

Dimensions:

H-3.5 W-3 inches

Provenance:

The Chelmsford Glass Company was organized in Chelmsford, MA, in 1828 to manufacture window glass. The company manufactured glass in Chelmsford through 1839, by which time William Parker (1797-1877) of Allenstown had acquired the largest share of company stock. Parker became agent for the company, selling its property in Chelmsford and buying land in Suncook, where labor, wood, and sand for making glass were less expensive. The company continued to manufacture glass by the cylinder process, producing broad sheets of glass, which resulted from blowing a long cylinder of glass, cutting off the ends of the cylinder, scoring it longitudinally, and then opening it and flattening it in an oven. Workers also produced a variety of tablewares and whimsical pieces such as globes and canes for visitors, employees, and local residents. Work continued to 1850 when falling tariffs on European glass and high transportation costs made production unprofitable.

The tumbler was purchased in 1929 at an Israel Sack auction by glass collector and author George S. McKearin (1874-1958) of Hoosick Falls, NY. McKearin owned an antiques shop in New York City and became an expert on American glass. Along with his daughter, Helen McKearin, he wrote two books that became indispensable for glass collectors and scholars: "American Glass," 1941 and "Two Hundred Years of American Blown Glass," 1950. Much of his substantial personal glass collection was donated to the Corning Museum of Glass after his death, with the remainder sold at auction, including this tumbler, purchased in 1959 by Richard F. Upton (1914-1996) of Concord, NH. After Upton's death, it was sold to Gary and Diane Stradling of Saratoga Springs, NY. The tumbler was purchased from the estate of Gary Stradling by the donor.

Credit Line:

Gift of William W. Upton

People:

Upton, Richard F. (1914-1996)

Subjects:

Glassware, Glassblowing