Occasional thoughts of an Anglican Episcopal priest

Category: Bryce Brothers

Glass Mug Collecting: Another (Partial) Bryce Set

Bryce Set including Robin in a Tree, Feeding Deer & Dog, and Grape Bunch. Also Strawberry & Pear. Missing from set is Chicks & Pugs.

Bryce Set including Robin in a Tree, Feeding Deer & Dog, and Grape Bunch. Also Strawberry & Pear. Missing from set is Pugs & Chicks.

Like the “beaded handle” set shown in an earlier entry, these mugs were made Bryce Brothers in the 1880s at a time when the company may have been known as Bryce, Walker & Co. In 1891 Bryce joined other glass manufacturers to form U.S. Glass Co. and became known as “Factory B” of that concern; it continued manufacturing these mugs, although I don’t know for how long. According to John B. Mordock and Walter L. Adams in their book Pattern Glass Mugs (The Glass Press, Inc., Marietta, OH: 1995), they are known to have been made in clear, amber, blue, canary, and light amethyst. All of the mugs have similar bowl shapes, the same shape of handle, and bases showing an eight-pointed star.

Bryce Set Showing 8-point Star Bottoms (graduated sizes; color: amber)

Bryce Set Showing 8-point Star Bottoms

The set is made up of four mugs, the largest of which is called Robin in a Tree, although the branches on which the two birds sit have roses and rose leaves on them; it could be a tree rose, I suppose. This mug measures 3-1/4″ in diameter and 3-1/4″ in height. I have several of this size in the colors amber, green, blue, opaque white (sometimes called “milk” or “custard” glass), clear, and carnivalized cobalt. Mordock and Adams report that this mug was later reproduced by another manufacturer, Mosser Glass Co., but that these are marked with Mosser’s maker’s mark, the letter “M” inside an outline of the state of Ohio. Although I would not be surprised to learn that the cobalt mug, especially, is a reproduction, none of my mugs bear the Mosser emblem.

Robin in a Tree; handle at left (size: 3-1/4" diameter x 3-1/4" height; color: amber)

Robin in a Tree - Handle at Left

Robin in a Tree; handle at right (size: 3-1/4" diameter x 3-1/4" height; color: amber)

Robin in a Tree - Handle at Right

All of these mugs were made in two-part molds which can be determined by the number of seam lines on the bowls. Each has a seam line along or underneath the handle (which is part of the molded mug, not an applied handle) and another directly opposite the handle. This can be seen in the following photo of the Robin in a Tree mug.

Robin in a Tree; handle to the back (size: 3-1/4" diameter x 3-1/4" height; color: amber)

Amber Robin in a Tree - Handle to the Back

Here are photographs of two of my Robin in a Tree mugs in other colors, the solid or opaque white known as milk or custard glass and the carnivalized cobalt.

Milk & Cobalt Carnival Robin in a Tree

Milk & Cobalt Carnival Robin in a Tree

Milk & Cobalt Carnival Robin in a Tree

Milk & Cobalt Carnival Robin in a Tree

The second mug in the set measures 3″ in diameter and 3-3/8″ in height. It is known as Grape Bunch and is the only one of the four mugs to bear the same design on both sides.

Grape Bunch; handle at right (size: 3" diameter x 3-3/8" height; color: amber)

Grape Bunch - Handle at Right

Grape Bunch; handle at left (size: 3" diameter x 3-3/8" height; color: amber)

Grape Bunch - Handle at Left

Similar in many respects (size, bowl and handle shape, and bottom pattern) to Grape Bunch, but not considered a part of the set, is Strawberry and Pear. According to Mordock and Adams, this mug is only “presumed” to have been made by Bryce (and later US Glass) because of these similarities. (A 1940 reproduction reportedly has a 24-point star on the bottom; I’ve not seen this copy.) Unlike Grape Bunch, this mug bears different designs on its two sides. The side with the pear, which might actually be a fig, also bears a bunch of grapes; the leaves shown with the fruit do not appear to be those of any of those fruits, however.

Strawberry & Pear; handle at left; strawberry showing (size: 3" diameter x 3-3/8" height; color: amber)

Strawberry & Pear - Showing Strawberry

Strawberry & Pear; handle at right; pear side showing (size: 3" diameter x 3-3/8" height; color: amber)

Strawberry & Pear - Showing Pear & Grape Bunch

The next smallest mug is Feeding Deer and Dog, which measures 2-3/8″ in diameter and 2-5/8″ in height.

Feeding Deer and Dog; handle at left (size: 2-3/8" diameter x 2-5/8" height; color: amber)

Feeding Deer and Dog - Showing the Dog

Feeding Deer and Dog; handle at right (size: 2-3/8" diameter x 2-5/8" height; color: amber)

Feeding Deer and Dog - Showing the Deer

The smallest of the set, which I have yet to obtain, is Chicks and Pugs. It measures 1-7/8″ in diameter by 2″ in height.

I have elsewhere provided information about the Bryce company (in the post entitled Glass Mug Collecting: Bryce Beaded Handle Set), so I will not do so again here. The Mosser Glass Company can be found today in Cambridge, Ohio. The company history and their current catalog can be found at their website, MosserGlass.com. (None of these mugs is shown in the current Mosser catalog.)

Glass Mug Collecting: Bryce Beaded Handle Set

These beaded handle mugs form a four-size set. I have five of them, two of the Bird on a Branch design which is the second-largest of the set.

Set of five mugs (in four sizes) made by the Bryce, Walker Glass Co. in th 1880s (and the U.S. Glass Co. after 1891)

Bryce Beaded Handle Seat

Bryce Brothers made these mugs in the 1880s at a time when the company may have been known as Bryce, Walker & Co. In 1891 Bryce joined other glass manufacturers to form U.S. Glass Co. and became known as “Factory B” of that concern; it continued manufacturing these mugs, apparently for another 20 or more years. They were made in clear, frosted, amber, opaque white, and blue. All of the mugs have beaded handles and pleated skirt bases.

Dog Chasing Deer (Size: 3-1/4" dia. x 3-3/4" ht.; Color: Amber) To the right of the handle, sculpting shows a young stag looking back over its left shoulder.

Dog Chasing Deer (3-1/4" dia. x 3-3/4" ht.)

Dog Chasing Deer is the largest mug in the set. It measures 3-1/4″ in diameter and 3-3/4″ in height. To the right of this mug’s handle one sees a young stag looking back over its left shoulder. Directly opposite the handle there are a doe and two stags running from the dog further around the bowl of the mug. To the left of the handle one sees the dog chasing these deer. The animals are framed by trees. The mug was made in a three-part mold; the mold seams run up the trunks of the trees.

Dog Chasing Deer (Size: 3-1/4" dia. x 3-3/4" ht.; Color: Amber) Directly opposite the handle, sculpting shows a doe and two stags running from the dog further around the bowl of the mug.

Dog Chasing Deer (3-1/4" dia. x 3-3/4" ht.)

Dog Chasing Deer (Size: 3-1/4" dia. x 3-3/4" ht.; Color: Amber) To the left of the handle, sculpting shows a dog chasing the deer shown further around the bowl of the mug.

Dog Chasing Deer (3-1/4" dia. x 3-3/4" ht.)

Bird on a Branch (Size: 2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.; Color: Amber) To the right of the handle, the sculpting shows an upright singing bird perched on a branch.

Bird on a Branch (2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.)

The second largest mug in the set is Bird on a Branch, which measures 2-7/8″ in diameter and 3-3/8″ in height. To the right of this mug’s handle is a perched bird on a branch; the bird is sitting upright and appears to be singing. Directly opposite the beaded handle, one sees as owl perched on a branch. To the left of the handle, the sculpting shows a crouching song bird perched on a branch. Like its larger companion, this mug was made in a three-part mold and, again, the mold seams are hidden in the trunks of the trees.

Bird on a Branch (Size: 2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.; Color: Clear) To the right of the handle, the sculpting shows an upright singing bird perched on a branch.

Bird on a Branch (2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.)

Bird on a Branch (Size: 2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.; Color: Amber) Directly opposite from the handle, the sculpting shows an owl perched on a branch.

Bird on a Branch (2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.)

Bird on a Branch (Size: 2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.; Color: Clear) Directly opposite from the handle, the sculpting shows an owl perched on a branch.

Bird on a Branch (2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.)

Bird on a Branch (Size: 2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.; Color: Amber) To the left of the handle, the sculpting shows a crouching song bird perched on a branch.

Bird on a Branch (2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.)

Bird on a Branch (Size: 2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.; Color: Clear) To the left of the handle, the sculpting shows a crouching song bird perched on a branch.

Bird on a Branch (2-7/8" dia. x 3-3/8" ht.)

Pointing Dog (Size: 2-3/8" dia. x 2-5/8" ht.; Color: Amber) To the right of the handle, sculpting shows a hunting dog looking backward over its left shoulder.

Pointing Dog (2-3/8" dia. x 2-5/8" ht.)

Pointing Dog is the third mug in the set, measuring 2-3/8″ in diameter and 2-5/8″ in height. On the right side of this mug, one finds a hunting dog looking backward over its left shoulder. Opposite the handle there is a singing bird in a crouching position perched on a branch. To the left of the handle is another hunting dog looking straight ahead and pointing toward the bird. Like the two larger mugs, this one was made in a three-part mold and the seams are hidden in tree trunks.

Pointing Dog (Size: 2-3/8" dia. x 2-5/8" ht.; Color: Amber) Directly opposite the handle, sculpting shows a singing bird in a crouching position perched on a branch.

Pointing Dog (2-3/8" dia. x 2-5/8" ht.)

Pointing Dog (Size: 2-3/8" dia. x 2-5/8" ht.; Color: Amber) To the left of the handle, sculpting shows a hunting dog looking straight ahead and pointing toward the bird.

Pointing Dog (2-3/8" dia. x 2-5/8" ht.)

Swan - aka Water Fowl, U.S. Glass No. 3802, or Federal's No. 3802 (Size: 1-7/8" dia. x 2" ht.; Color: Clear) To the right of the handle, sculpting shows a swimming duck among water grasses.

Swan aka Water Fowl, U.S. Glass No. 3802, or Federal's No. 3802 (1-7/8" dia. x 2" ht.)

Swan (which is also known as Water Fowl) is the smallest of the set. It measures 1-7/8″ in diameter and 2″ in height. It is seen in packers’ goods catalogs as U.S. Glass No. 3802 or Federal Glass Company’s 1914 Packers’ Catalogue as Federal’s No. 3802. Mugs (and other vessels) made as “packers’ goods” were used to distribute condiments and could afterwards be used for whatever purpose the consumer might choose. Often they were intended as toys for children, which was probably the case with this little item. (Note: There are many mugs and other glass items featuring a swan motif. Another Swan pattern, also known as Plain Swan or Swan with Mesh, was made by Canton Glass Co. circa 1882. There seems to be no mug associated with that pattern. See Darryl Reilly and Bill Jenks, Early American Pattern Glass: Collector’s Identification & Price Guide, pp. 443-44 (2nd Ed.: Krause Publications, Iola, WI: 2002) and Ruth Lee Webb, Early American Pressed Glass, pp. 531-32 (36th Ed.: Lee Publications, Wellesley Hills, MA: 1960).)

On the right side of this little mug one sees a duck swimming among water grasses. Opposite the handle, a bird (either goose or duck) is taking flight from among the rushes. To the left of the handle, a swimming swan glides among the cattails. This mug also was made in a three-part mold; one seam line is well-hidden in the stem of a cattail, while the other is only partially obscured by a palm. My copy of this mug is marred by impurities within the glass: an arc of what seem to be ash particles is imbedded in the glass.

Swan - aka Water Fowl, U.S. Glass No. 3802, or Federal's No. 3802 (Size: 1-7/8" dia. x 2" ht.; Color: Clear) Directly opposite from the handle, sculpting shows a duck or goose taking flight from among water grasses. Impurities in the glass obscure the sculpted image.

Swan aka Water Fowl, U.S. Glass No. 3802, or Federal's No. 3802 (1-7/8" dia. x 2" ht.)

Swan - aka Water Fowl, U.S. Glass No. 3802, or Federal's No. 3802 (Size: 1-7/8" dia. x 2" ht.; Color: Clear) To the left of the handle, sculpting shows a swimming swan among cattails.

Swan aka Water Fowl, U.S. Glass No. 3802, or Federal's No. 3802 (1-7/8" dia. x 2" ht.)

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh provides this information about the Bryce Brothers Glass Co.

James Bryce, born in Scotland in 1812, migrated to the United States at the age of 5 with his family and first lived in Philadelphia before moving to Pittsburgh in 1819. At the age of 15 he was indentured to Bakewell, Page & Bakewell in 1827. James left the factory when it was temporarily closed by a Financial Panic in the 1830s, but returned to glassblowing in 1845 with the firm of Mulvany and Ledlie.

The firm Bryce, McKee and Co. was established by James in 1850 with his brothers Robert and John who were joined by the McKee brothers, Frederick and James. Their Factory was located at Wharton and 21st streets on Pittsburgh’s South Side. The McKee brothers withdrew from the company in 1854 to establish their own business and two new partners were brought into the company—Joseph Richards and William Hartley— who remained until 1865.

The Walkers who joined the partnership when William Hartley departed added their name to the firm which became known as Bryce, Walker & Co. until 1882 when the Bryce family sold their interest to U.S. Glass Co. which was known as Factory B. Three years later the Bryce Brothers reestablished their business in Hammondville where glass products were produced until 1896 when a new factory was built at Mt. Pleasant.

Bryce Brothers produced tableware, lamps, apothecary wares and bottles. Their pressed glass patterns—Roman Rosette, Ribbon Candy and Ribbed Palm or Sprig were well known as were patterns named Diamond Sunburst, Thistle and Strawberry for which design patents were secured.

Lenox Co. acquired Bryce Brothers in 1965.

The Glass Etch and Pattern Gallery provides this additional (and slightly conflicting) information about the company’s history (adapted from The Glass Candlestick Book: Volume 1, by Tom Felt and Rich & Elaine Stoer):

BRYCE BROTHERS COMPANY, Hammondville, Pa. (1893 1896), Mount Pleasant, Pa. (1896 1967). The involvement of the Bryce family in glass manufacture extends back to the early 1840s. The original Bryce brothers, James, Robert and John, founded Bryce, McKee and Company in Pittsburgh around 1850. After various changes of name, the company was reorganized as Bryce Brothers in 1882 – two of the original brothers, Robert and James, being joined by five of the latter’s sons, as well as one son of Robert’s. In 1891, Bryce Brothers became factory “B” of the United States Glass Company.

Most of the Bryce clan took positions with U.S. Glass. However, in 1893, two of the younger generation, Andrew H. and J. McDonald Bryce, withdrew to found the new Bryce Brothers Company. They purchased the bankrupt Smith-Brudewold Company’s plant at Hammondville, which they operated until 1896, when they moved to a brand new factory in Mount Pleasant. Their specialty was blown stemware and tumblers, with a full variety of offerings for the hotel and bar trade. From the beginning they also offered many forms of decoration, including etching, cutting, sand blasting, iridescent finishes, enameling, gold bands, etc. Bryce Brothers remained a major producer of blown stemware and tableware through most of the twentieth century. In 1948, they began using a logo that advertised “Bryce, hand blown, since 1841,” apparently referring to the year when the original John Bryce got his first job in the glass industry, working for Bakewells and Company. In 1965, Bryce Brothers Company was purchased by Lenox, Inc., the Trenton, New Jersey, china manufacturer, who continued to operate the factory under their own name until the 1990s.

Glass Mug Collecting: Introductory Post

I decided that I would start chronicling my hobby of glass collecting on this blog. (These posts will be intermingled with sermons and whatever other random thoughts I may have….) So, to be specific, I collect early American pattern glass mugs.

Five Medallion mugs, three large (black, clear, amber), one medium (white), one small (clear)

Set of five Atterbury & Co. Medallion mugs

Since this is a first post, let me dissect those terms.

Early

“Early” refers to the first era of pressed glass production in America, from about 1830 up to 1910 (roughly, some of my mugs are from later years). Glassware historians divide this into three periods: the Lacy Period, 1830-40; the Flint Period, 1840 to about 1860; and the Non-Flint Period, 1860-1910. What primarily distinguishes the periods are the stabilizers used in the glass and production methods used in the making of the glassware, and the retail price and availability of the products. In the earliest periods of human history, glass was something only for the wealthy; this continued to be true until the late 19th Century.

Clear Goblet in Bryce's Derby or "Pleat & Panel" Pattern

Clear Goblet in Bryce's Derby or "Pleat & Panel" Pattern

Although a glass is a substance that is non-crystalline, it is almost completely undeformable and thus brittle. Glass tableware is made of silica (silicon oxide); such glass, without the addition of other elements, is extremely brittle. Therefore stabilizers are used to give the finished product particular characteristics. Calcium carbonate can be added as a stabilizer that will make the resulting glass insoluble in water. Lead oxide added as a stabilizer gives the glass extreme transparency, brightness, and a high refractive index (the measure of glass’s ability to bend light); it also makes glass easier to cut. The glassware known as “lead crystal” uses lead oxide (up to 33%) as the stabilizer. Zinc oxide can be added to glass to make it more resistant to changes in temperature as well as to increase its refractive index. Aluminum oxide can also be added as a stabilizer to increase the physical strength of the glass.

The earliest American glass makers added flint or lead to stabilize glassware. However, the military need for lead during the American civil war lead to the search for alternatives. In 1862, William Leighton, Jr., devised a formula using soda lime. This produced a less brilliant, less resonant, but also much less expensive type of glass. Together with advances in molding techniques brought on by the industrial revolution, and by the advent of natural gas to fire furnaces in the 1880s, the changed formula reduced the price of glassware and made mass manufacturing and mass marketing possible. Glassware became available to the larger market of the growing American middle class.

American

Well… that ought to be self-explanatory. On the other hand, I should acknowledge that not all of my mugs are American! I have a couple that are definitely English and one that is definitely German, and a couple I’m not at all sure about. Also, “American” glass includes products of some Canadian manufacturers. (So perhaps it should be “North American”?)

Pattern

Amber Mother Goose lunch set (1930s era copy)

Amber Mother Goose lunch set (1930s era copy)

What is the difference between “molded” glass, “pressed” glass, and “pattern” glass? Not much. Nearly all pattern glass is pressed, but not vice-versa. All pressed glass is molded, but not vice-versa.

Some molded glass is blown into the the mold; pressed glass is, obviously, pressed into the mold. Nearly all pattern glass is pressed glass with this characteristic: that several different items (or “forms” as collectors call them) share the design pressed into the glass. Darryl Reilly and Bill Jenks in their book Early American Pattern Glass: Collector’s Identification & Price Guide (2nd Ed.: Krause Publications, Iola, WI: 2002) define “pattern glass” as “only those designs produced in forms large enough to constitute a basic 4-piece table setting.” (Page 7) Others defined “pattern glass” as pressed glass tableware, and some related novelty glass items, made only during the Victorian period (1850-1910), only in America, and in “sets” such that all of the pieces in the set matched in design, without setting a minimum on the number of forms. And some make no distinction at all between “pressed” glass and “pattern” glass.

How many patterns are there? One expert has suggested that there may have been up to 5,000 patterns produced by American glassware manufacturers during the Victorian era! See Bob Batty, A Complete Guide to Pressed Glass, page 7 (Pelican Publishing Co.: Gretna, LA, 1998).

Three-handled spooner of unknown pattern

Three-handled spooner of unknown pattern

Glass

Here’s a technical definition: “Glass is often referred to as an amorphous solid. An amorphous solid has a definite shape without the geometric regularity of crystalline solids. Glass can be molded into any shape. If glass is shattered, the resulting pieces are irregularly shaped. A crystalline solid would exhibit regular geometrical shapes when shattered.” Good enough? Good enough – I think we all know what “glass” means.

Mugs

Clear Medallion mug (2" x 2"); Ceres variant

Clear Medallion mug (2" x 2"); Ceres variant

Mug: “A drinking container with a handle” is about the simplest definition one can give, but it begs the question. John B. Mordock and Walter L. Adams in the introduction to their book Pattern Glass Mugs (The Glass Press, Inc.: Marieta, OH, 1995) note that there are all sorts of particularly shaped mugs: lemonades, whiskey tasters, steins, and so forth. As they say, “It is difficult to determine what should be included as a mug. Items that are on the borderline are custard cups, cup and saucer sets, punch cups and some mustard containers.” Toothpick holders and children’s toys are on the borderline, as well. My definition: if it’s a handled drinking vessel, not obviously a tea cup or a punch cup, and I like it – it’s a mug!

So that’s what my collecting hobby is all about. In future posts, I’ll post pictures of my mugs and give as much detail about them as I can find. As I get more information on a piece, I’ll edit the posts. I hope those who read them and look at the pictures of my mugs will enjoy these little works of art as much as I do.