Vintage Jeannette Glassware

It's fitting that Jeannette, Pennsylvania, which was named after the wife of one of the town's founders, Henry Sellers McKee, would spawn a glassworks named after the town of Jeannette. After all, the McKee family had been in the glassware business since the 1830s, which means that by the time the Jeannette Bottle Works was founded in 1888—it would be renamed Jeannette Glass Company in 1898—the McKees has been glassmakers for half a century. By the end of the 1800s, Jeannette was known as Glass City for the profusion of glassworks within and skirting its city limits, all lured to region by the plentiful and inexpensive supplies of natural gas, which was harnessed by H.S. McKee and others to fire glass furnaces. McKee & Brothers was run by Henry's older siblings, Frederick and James, while Westmoreland Glass Company prospered in nearby Grapeville, excelling at water pitchers, wine glasses, and juice tumblers for use in kitchens and dining rooms, as well as a large assortment of glass novelty pieces. Jeannette Glass Works (sometimes misspelled "Jeanette"), having pivoted from making handblown bottles, was manufacturing everything from automobile headlight lens to architectural glass blocks. This last effort would reach its highpoint for the company in the 1920s, when Jeannette introduced its line of Lazalite glass bricks, which were installed into sidewalks so that basements below street level could enjoy filtered, natural light, an amenity for which landlords charged their tenants a premium. For collectors of vintage Jeannette glass, its many lines of glass for the home are the most popular. Like many manufacturers of the early 20th century, Jeannette produced Depression glass, iridescent Carnival glass, variations of Anchor Hocking's Jade-ite, and milk glass. Often, patterns with names like Iris and Herringbone, Cube, Lombard, and Gondola were produced in a range of finishes. An exception to this rule was the company's line of Jenny Ware, which was made in the comparatively plain colors of blue or green. Beyond their finish, patterns also took on an astounding number of shapes serving every tableware purpose imaginable. Iris and Herringbone, for example, was pressed into plates and bowls, teacups and saucers, salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowls and creamers, pitchers and tumblers, candle holders and candy dishes, and oil lamps and their matching shades. Jeannette also made scores of animal-themed novelty items and accessories such as powder boxes, small pieces such as toothpick holders, and souvenirs, particularly in Carnival glass, which lent itself to impulse purchases at gift shops. By 1961, Jeannette was so financially healthy, it was able to purchase the McKee factory, also in the town of Jeannette, which gave the combined companies even more manufacturing might. But by 1983, tastes had changed, and Jeannette finally shut its door, just five years shy of celebrated its centennial.