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Steuben Glass Company History

Steuben Glass Company, Corning, New York (1903-1918)
Steuben Glass, a division of the Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York (1918 to the present).

The guiding spirit behind Steuben was Frederick Carder. Born in England, he served his apprenticeship with Stevens and Williams, known internationally for their cut and art glass designs. He became acquainted with Thomas G. Hawkes, who lured him to America, where he founded the Steuben Glass Company, primarily to supply high quality blanks to be cut by T. G. Hawkes & Company and others. Carder was not content to merely produce blanks for decoration, however, and during his years at Steuben an extraordinary variety of art glass was also produced, some in imitation of ancient glass techniques (pate de verre, latticino, cameo engraving, diatreta, and other techniques) and many exhibiting new and exciting innovations of his own. Blue and gold Aurene (metallic lustre finishes) and Verre de Soie (with its iridescent silken finish) were among the most successful. In 1918, shortages caused by World War I led to the closing of the company. It was acquired by the Corning Glass Works and became a division at that time. Carder was hired as art director and continued to be responsible for its production until he retired in 1934.

Despite the high quality and prestige associated with Carder's productions, the Steuben division had not been a major financial success for Corning. Some consideration was given to shutting the operation down altogether, when Arthur A. Houghton, Jr., a member of the board and great-grandson of Corning's founder, asked to be given control of it. He brought in a fresh new design team, to give Steuben's output a consistent direction and concentrated on creating the highest quality crystal possible. The third aspect of what he called his "Steuben Trilogy" was workmanship. It didn't take long for them to establish a name as one of the finest manufacturers of glassware in the world, a reputation they continue to hold today.

? From The Glass Candlestick Book, volume 3, by Tom Felt, Rich & Elaine Stoer (reprinted with permission)

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Date:	30.04.2007 00:13
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Added by:	Tom Felt