Antique Custard Glass

By Jubilee P. Reid

Rich history lies behind many pieces of antique glass. The story leading to one set of ornate glassware at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum can be traced to 1887, when 27-year-old English immigrant, Harry Northwood, opened a factory in Martins Ferry, Ohio to produce decorative art glass. This was the beginning of the Northwood Glass Company, one of the most affluent glass producers in America.

Born in the British glassmaking center of Stourbridge, Harry Northwood (1860 – 1919) was the eldest son of innovative British glass artisan, John Northwood. Harry began his glassmaking apprenticeship at age 14 and immigrated to America seven years later, arriving on November 1, 1881. He began working as a glass etcher in the Wheeling, West Virginia factory that he would later purchase. He was employed by several glass companies before a fire destroyed his workplace on September 27, 1887. Instead of seeking work at another factory, he started his own company.

Though Northwood produced exquisite glass, the company struggled for a few years and was moved from Ohio to the town of Indiana in western Pennsylvania. Northwood’s cousin, Thomas Dugan, also destined to be a successful glassmaker, came to America not long after Harry and worked as a plant manager for Northwood. In 1899, Northwood joined the National Glass Company, a league of 19 glass factories, and Harry returned to London as an agent for them. Within two years, the National Glass Co. fell into financial difficulties and restructured, with the Northwood plant being transferred to Thomas Dugan who used it for his own glass company. Harry Northwood split from National and returned to the U.S., settling in Wheeling, West Virginia. Having purchased the factory of his former employer, the newly created H. Northwood & Co. began operations in the fall of 1902. Here they would become one of the premier glass companies of the U.S.

The most famous Northwood glass is iridescent carnival glass, but the company also produced milk glass, opalescent glass, and custard glass. Custard glass is an opaque glass which receives its name from its slightly yellowish/green custard colored appearance. The name “custard glass" is newer than the glass itself; historically this glass had a variety of names including “ivory glass.” This was one of the first colors of glass to be made and was produced in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. The imperial family of China commissioned the production of custard glass in the 16^th century. Though custard glass was created in Europe in the latter half of the 19^th century, it was not produced in the United States until the 1890s and fell from popularity by 1915 in favor of carnival glass.  

Different compounds have been used over the centuries to produce the various shades of custard glass; the recipe favored in the 1800s included uranium and sulfur which causes the glass to glow under ultraviolet light.

H. Northwood & Co. produced their first piece of custard glass while based in Pennsylvania and they quickly became the most successful producer of custard glass in the U.S. In 1898 they introduced a gold enameled pattern of ivory glass, named “Louis XV” after the extravagant king of France. This pattern was so well-received they quickly began production of other gilded designs including the popular “Chrysanthemum Sprig” pattern.  

Displayed in the Women’s Suffrage Exhibit in the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum is a set of Northwood’s Chrysanthemum Sprig custard glass. This exquisite set is comprised of an eight-inch-tall pitcher and six four-inch-tall tumblers. Donated by the Chastain family, each dodecagon shaped (12-sided) piece in this rare set is decorated with gold embossed chrysanthemum blossoms and leaves underneath green and pink arches. The pitcher has decorations on the handle, as well as a scalloped rim and base. Though the gold paint is worn in spots, this approximately 125-year-old set is in excellent condition.

Northwood did produce some blown glass, but most of their wares were pressed. The chrysanthemum sprig pattern was made by molding the designs in the glass, and hand painting the upraised areas. A variety of Chrysanthemum dishes were produced from 1899 to 1904 including jam dishes, sugar containers and match holders. Northwood also manufactured the same design in a blue-tinted custard glass.

Northwood glass generally has one of two marks. The glass produced in Pennsylvania featured “Northwood” stamped in a scrollwork font. Once the company moved to Wheeling, Harry Northwood began using a symbol consisting of an underlined “N” within a circle. The scrollwork emblem is the marking on the base of the museum’s pitcher meaning this set was made in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The scrollwork is said to resemble Harry Northwood’s handwriting.

H. Northwood & Co. continued producing glass for six more years after Harry’s death in 1919 before permanently closing on December 12, 1925. Although they did not produce glass for as many years as their competitors, Northwood glass is still sought today by collectors worldwide.