Antique Milk Glass

Here’s an excerpt from an article in a Utah newspaper about someone who found a milk glass bowl in a barn..

Dear Mr. Rosson: I am enclosing pictures of a dish that my grandparents found in their barn in the early 1900s. The flowers look to be hand-painted. There is no signature or company name.

Could you tell me what this is and the value? — J.A., Brookville, Pa.

Dear J.A.: Milk glass is a term that current collectors apply to a type of opaque white glass that was reportedly first made in England during the 18th century in an attempt to imitate Chinese porcelain, or “china.” To most of today’s glass enthusiasts, milk glass is a white pressed glass made from the mid-19th to the mid- 20th century (and beyond) that is often found in the form of dishes shaped like animals or plates and bowls with embossed designs and/ or pierced edges.

One of the largest makers of milk glass in the United States was the Atterbury Glass Co. of Pittsburgh. […]

They made all sorts of other milk glass items as well, including the open work bowl owned by J.A. It is called their “lattice-edge open bowl” and even though no size is mentioned in the letter, its should be about 8 inches in diameter. (We strongly encourage everyone who writes us to please include dimensions of the items they are inquiring about, along with clear in-focus photographs of the item on glossy photo paper. Otherwise, we may not be able to answer.)

These Atterbury lattice-edge pieces can be found in both bowls and plates, and they are typically decorated in the center with a grouping of hand-painted flowers. Atterbury depicted a number of different flowers on these pieces that ranged from apple blossoms to trumpet vines. Sadly, we cannot identify the flower shown on J.A.’s plate — probably because we are not well versed in the field of flower names.

Many times, 100 years or more of use has damaged the floral designs on the Atterbury lattice-edge pieces, but the flowers on this bowl look to be in excellent condition. There is some disagreement as to when Atterbury closed, with some saying 1898 and others as late as 1903. This bowl, however, was made in the last quarter of the 19th century.

Unfortunately, prices for most pieces of milk glass are rather modest, and this bowl should be valued for insurance purposes in the $100 to $125 range. Collectors should be aware that the Westmoreland Glass Co. mpany reproduced this line in the mid-20th century.

Excellent advice.

Here are a few samples of Atterbury milk glass.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 4th, 2008 at 1:58 pm and is filed under Antique Milk Glass, Atterbury Glass Company.