Issue link: http://summerguide.uberflip.com/i/1535299
In the mid-1820s, American man- ufacturers began to experiment with pressing glass with the use of a lever-operated machine. Jarves was quick to utilize the pressing machine, and while he did not invent the pressing process, he did receive several patents for improvements in pressing techniques and mold designs. The glass company also produced mold-blown wares. Many of these designs mimicked English and Irish cut glass patterns, but mold-blown pieces were more easily made and required less skilled labor. The molds for pressing glass were metal, hand-carved by mold- makers. The early pressing process often created surface imperfec- tions due to the different cooling rates of the glass and molds. After the Civil War, the glass industry changed in Sandwich and New England. The Midwest had a cheap and ready supply of fuel for glass furnaces (Sandwich had con- verted from wood to coal furnaces in 1836). New companies were able to produce cheaper pressed glass tableware, thereby squeez- ing out the New England pressed glass competition. By 1870, the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company had changed its production line to more delicate, finely blown, engraved and dec- orated glassware to appeal to an upscale clientele and compete against the Midwestern factories. The change in production included a variety of blown, pressed, cut, engraved and decorated wares, some of which were featured in the company's catalog of the 1870s. Finally, by the 1920s, the entire glass industry in Sandwich had come to a complete halt. The factory buildings were slowly torn down and dismantled. By 1944, there was barely a trace of a factory building near the marsh. A marker at the location of the factory is all that remains of this enterprise For more information and to watch glass blowing in person, visit the Sandwich Glass Museum: sandwichglassmuseum.org Pressed glass Candlestick ca. 1845-65 Collection of e Met, NYC www.summerguidecapecod.com 33