Bakewell Glass: An American Legacy

The exhibition of more than 100 objects, on view through March 26, represents the quality and wide range of Bakewell glassware. Whether free-blown, mold-blown or pressed, the glass reveals the factory's innovative approach to design and decoration. Decorative techniques include cutting, engraving and cameo-incrustation (sulphides). Although the emphasis is on table and ornamental glass, several mold-blown flasks are included. For comparative purposes, a selection of glass made in England, France and at other American glasshouses is also on display.

Some 40 national and international public and private lenders have contributed to "Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass." Much of the material is from Pennsylvania collections, including the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, Old Economy Village and State Museum of Pennsylvania. Additional sources include Winterthur Museum, The Corning Museum of Glass, The Baltimore Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bill Bodine, Frick's art and historical director, said, "Bringing Benjamin Bakewell's story to light was a particularly appropriate project for the Frick to undertake, given our twin interests in art and history. The exhibition reflects the achievements of an individual who, like other Pittsburgh leaders of the Nineteenth Century, influenced the cultural and industrial landscape of western Pennsylvania, as well as that of America at large. His legacy is the marriage of decorative arts and industrial processes that comes down to us today not only in extremely fine objects of aesthetic beauty, but also in an industry that was forged from his drive to improve the lives of his fellow citizens through art."

Bakewell is also often recognized as the father of the American flint glass business. "However, according to Deming Jarves, who founded the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company in 1825, Bakewell's enterprise did not actually introduce flint glass to the American glass industry. That distinction belongs to Henry William Stiegel of Manheim, Penn., who produced lead-formula glass [flint glass] about 1771," stated guest curator Arlene Palmer in the exhibition catalog. "In Pittsburgh, some flint glass was blown - at least experimentally - at Craig and O'Hara's glassworks around 1800 and briefly again after 1806. Yet, the firm of Bakewell & Ensell and its successors was the first Nineteenth Century glassworks to make cut glass commercially."

English-born entrepreneur Bakewell was a man of wide-ranging intellect who found creative expression and financial success in the manufacture of glass. In partnership with several others, Bakewell purchased a foundering glassworks in Pittsburgh in 1808. By the 1820s, it was recognized as one of the nation's premier glass establishments and continued operations until 1882.

According to Palmer, "It was the longest-lasting flint glassworks in continuous operation in the United States up to that time, due in part to the various partnerships Benjamin Bakewell at one time or another had established with various people. Benjamin Page's business acumen; Thomas Bakewell's scientific knowledge; John Palmer Bakewell's mechanical bent; Benjamin Bakewell Jr's innovations; Benjamin Bakewell Campbell's steady hand; and the skill of countless others contributed to the stellar reputation of the glassworks."

The Pears family was also an integral part of the Bakewell enterprise. Although a partnership eluded Thomas Pears (1785-1832), his son John eventually graduated from employee to partner with Bakewell and helped guide the firm through periods of critical change in the glass industry. John Pear's sons, together with the grandsons of Bakewell, oversaw the growth and eventually the final years of the company known as Bakewell, Pears & Co.

Over the course of its 74-year existence, the Bakewell factory produced objects that reflected the highest quality of craftsmanship and decoration achieved in Nineteenth Century American glass. "Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass" not only represents many of the most thoroughly documented examples of Bakewell glass, but also places them within the context of the times.

One of the firm's primary innovations was the cameo-incrustation or "sulphide" technique that had been perfected in English and French glass factories of the early Nineteenth Century. The Pittsburgh firm utilized the sulphide process to produce remarkable mantel ornaments, decanters, plaques, tumblers and knobs featuring encapsulated cameos (white clay portraits) of such leading political figures as Washington, Lafayette and Franklin.

Other luxury objects crafted and manufactured by Bakewell included celery glasses, vases, plaques, bowls, pitchers and other tableware. Many are elaborately wheel-engraved with devices ranging from swags and floral motifs to animals, particularly greyhounds. A tumbler from the 1820s shows a greyhound pulling a chariot driven by a cherub. Also dating from this period are vases and other vessels engraved with a scene of lovebirds that became a hallmark of the glassworks' finest decoration.

These and other objects were collected by presidents and wealthy patrons. The exhibit includes one of a pair of magnificent cut and engraved decanters Bakewell presented to President James Madison in 1816 and cut glass that Andrew Jackson enjoyed at his Tennessee home. The quality of Bakewell glass was renowned in its day and led to orders for complete services from President James Monroe in 1818 and President Jackson in 1829.

To attract a growing middle-class market, the factory also offered well-made tableware and utilitarian forms. The ability to meet the needs of both ends of the market spectrum required innovative methods of shaping and decorating glass that set new artistic and production standards within the industry. Although the firm's pressed glass was inexpensive, it attained a level of sophistication in design that equaled the finest examples from rival Massachusetts glasshouses.

Although the glass produced by the Bakewell enterprises was heralded in its own time and beyond, the story of Bakewell glass has never been fully chronicled. This is due in part to the 1845 fire that destroyed much of Pittsburgh, including the records from the early years of the Bakewell enterprise. Additionally, documents concerning the final four decades of the factory were discarded when the company stopped operations in 1882.

To recreate the Bakewell story, Palmer researched 60 museum and private collections, as well as trade journals, newspaper archives, travelers' journals, personal papers and other sources. Bakewell and Pears family correspondence was instructive, as were letters Palmer found in the papers of John James Audubon, who married Bakewell's niece. She also identified some 30 invoices preserved in institutions around the country, including the Harmony Society at Old Economy Village, located near Pittsburgh.

"Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass, 1808-1882: From Bakewell & Ensell to Bakewell, Pears & Co." is accompanied by a full-color catalog written by Palmer. Produced by the Frick Art & Historical Center and distributed by the University of Pittsburgh Press, the 208-page publication includes entries for all of the Bakewell-attributed pieces. The essay by Palmer traces the genesis, growth and development of Bakewell's glassworks and places his achievements within the framework of Nineteenth Century decorative arts. The catalog is available at the museum shop in cloth-back ($29.95) and paperback ($19.95) editions.

Part of the Frick Art & Historical Center in Pittsburgh, The Frick Art Museum contains the fine and decorative art collection of Helen Clay Frick, daughter of Henry Clay Frick. In addition to exhibiting its permanent collection, which concentrates on Italian Renaissance and French Eighteenth Century works, the museum has an active program of temporary exhibitions.

Admission to The Frick Art Museum is free to the public. Free docent-led tours of "Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass" are offered every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm. Groups of five or more should schedule a private tour, available for $5 per person. Tours of the permanent collection are also available for $5 per person. Tours should be scheduled two weeks in advance.

The Frick Art & Historical Center is at 7227 Reynolds Street in Point Breeze. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. For information and reservations, 412-371-0600 or www.FrickArt.org.