IAN SIMMONDS

The Industrialization of Glass Cutting in America 1850-80: Jean-Pierre Colné Rediscovered Ian Simmonds Saint Bartholomew's Church, 82 Prospect St., White Plains, NY. Meeting starts at 7pm, presentation about 7:45pm.

Steady advances in mechanization and industrialization are principal themes of the decorative arts of the 19th Century in general, and in America and its glass in particular. As the substantial quantities of surviving American-made glass—especially mold blown and pressed glass tableware, bottles, lighting, etc—were collected and classified in the first half of the twentieth century, it became abundantly clear that American manufacturers had not only made extensive use of mass production technologies, but played a pivotal role in their development.

However, the corresponding American effort to apply mechanization to the industrialization of cut glass has gone largely unnoticed, despite the existence of two substantial patents on the topic.

I stumbled upon Jean-Pierre Colné and his patent machinery while making sense of a remarkable cut compote. Its cutting seemed almost problematic, being too deep, regular and precise to have been cut by hand. However, the outline of an explanation was soon assembled, centered on Colné and his patent machinery.

This talk presents Colné's vision of mechanized glass cutting as outlined in his surviving writings, as well as his thirty year pursuit of that vision in the United States following his arrival in New York City from Baccarat, France in 1848.

I will use simple animations to show Colné's machinery at work. In so doing, I will show the broad yet very specific variety of forms and patterns that the machinery was capable of cutting. As a result, I will show not only many examples that were cut on the machinery but how other products of the machinery can be recognized.

Taken together, Colné's vision, his machinery and its products, form a previously unrecognized chapter in the history not just of American glass, but in the history of glass technology worldwide. Moreover, his products are local, having been made, sold and exhibited in nearby New York City.

This talk was hosted by the Westchester Chapter of the National American Glass Club.