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Romance of Vintage Stemware - Morgantown Glass
Morgantown is not one of the most plentiful patterns we find in mid-Michigan so this article will show only a few patterns to give you a sense of what their etched stemware is like, plus we’ll show a couple pieces of their famous Crinkle glass. We like to stress the romance and charm inherent in vintage stemware - regardless of maker - and give a sense for how this can be perfect for gifts or to enhance your own home. Vintage stemware is beautiful, useful and classy and it provides a sense of instant tradition, a link to the past and a sense of place in time.
Morgantown was in business for a long time but struggled to stay competitive during the 1960s and finally sold to Fostoria. They underwent several name changes, including using the word Economy in their name. The 1960s were hard on several glass companies, partly due to competition from imports but even more so from old equipment, labor strife and in some cases, poor management. A last factor was probably the change in style so evident in the very simple, plain glass that became more in vogue during the Jackie Kennedy era. It must have been hard for a glass company to justify high prices when their glass appeared to be no fancier than the mass-produced ware.
What we will show here are three etched patterns and two ruby red pieces, including Crinkle. To me there is much similarity among the patterns, more geometric and less flowing than from some other companies. Take a look and form your own opinion.
The first pattern is Mayfair. Both Hocking and Fostoria had Mayfair patterns so be careful to check the maker if you decide this is the etch for you. Morgantown Mayfair is my favorite among the etches we’ll show. Mayfair has three urns connected by swags that are overflowing with flowers. At a quick glance this looks like three plumes, but you can see the flowers and urns. You can find Mayfair online probably easier than by chance at a local auction. It is a nice graceful pattern that would go well with china that has flowers or birds, even rather informal dinnerware would be enhanced by this special vintage elegant glass.
The piece shown is the footed water tumbler. This has a light optic that makes it look shimmery in the light.
The second pattern is Virginia etch and you will see this is on the same blank as the Mayfair. The blank is the name for the plain glass shape before it is decorated. Virginia also has an urn with flowers and swags to a simple flower. This one looks like a shield or emblem more than an urn just because of the geometric shape. The first piece is the footed water and the blank has a light optic.
The second piece is the champagne sherbet. Notice this is a different blank. There is no optic.
The next two stems are Picardy etch, which is a huge bouqet of roses in a triangle shape. We have the small footed juice tumbler and the sherbet. Juice is on the left.
The last stem is Monroe in Spanish Red. This is particularly interesting as the bowl is ruby red and the stem and foot are crystal. The stem is ribbed and has a wafer on the top and bottom and that is the only design element for this pattern. You don’t need etches or much else when the color is this gorgeous!
The last piece we’ll show isn’t stemware but a tumbler. This is Crinkle, one of the famous wrinkled patterns. This would go great with contemporary dinnerware. If you like Crinkle it would be good to get familiar with it. Morgantown made this pattern for 30+ years and some of the colors and shapes evolved over time. For example, there are three distinct 8 inch plates, all legitimately Crinkle. There were other companies that made wrinkled glass, including Seneca and Anchor Hocking. You can tell the Morgantown Crinkle by the mouth shapes which are not perfectly round.
Photos and text copyright Kathy Eickholt, April 2008. You are welcome to link to this or quote excerpts provided proper attribution is given.
