Words and photos by Lachlan Finlayson

During the Inter-War years, modern jazz age designs became popular in many mass produced products across the globe. Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous range of items, that sold in volume and are still easily collectable today, were made of pressed glass. Having developed a particular fascination with glass items from the period, I wanted to write an introduction to some of the key manufacturers, and their gorgeous wares. The examples in the photographs have been collected or given to me over recent years. I am indebted to a close friend for the inspiration she has provided, the knowledge she has shared, and the occasional gift she has given.

Uranium Glass

Glass products made during the inter-war period share many features seen in larger scale projects of the time. They are simple, modern creations, often with streamlined and attractive geometric features – in short, Art Deco design. The glass used was produced in many colours and degrees of transparency, from opaque to frosted to clear. The resulting products are often described as ‘pressed glass’; an inexpensive, mass-produced technique using a mould and a plunger.

Of particular interest is the glass that was made with the addition of very small amounts of radioactive material, usually uranium oxide. Apart from providing an attractive transparent or translucent green colour, the uranium glows brightly under ultra-violet (UV) or ‘black’ light. The full beauty of uranium glass, probably not widely realized at the time, is now easily appreciated with the availability of household UV lighting sources such as strip-lighting. When a UV light source is placed adjacent to uranium glass in a darkened display cabinet, it pleasantly enhances the design and beauty of these already delightful vases, bowls, plates, and figurines. The addition of uranium to glass fell out of widespread use during the Second World War due to its availability and, since then, due to Government regulation during the Cold War period.

The examples in my photographs are made in England, Europe, and the United States. Interestingly, in the US, these decorative objects were sometimes produced as promotional or collectible items in conjunction with the sale of domestic consumer products. For example, during the 1930s, Frigidaire refrigerators sometimes came with water carafes, ice servers, and drinking glasses. Uranium glass is better known as depression or vaseline glass in the US. However, depression glass is a description that sometimes includes many other colours in addition to the green from uranium oxide.

While the age of, for instance, an Art Deco building or car is relatively easy to identify, this is not always the case with glass products. These products are generally made from moulds which may be used continuously for decades and then transferred, acquired, or fall into disuse depending on public tastes and the fortunes of a particular company. Fortunately, the glass-manufacturing companies often documented their designs in promotional material and catalogues, providing an indication of the design age but not necessarily the manufacture age.

Although there have been numerous manufacturers of uranium glass, I will describe just a few objects I have acquired from some of the more well-known and prolific companies.

Bagley (England)

The Bagley Glass company, a bottle manufacturer from West Yorkshire, England, began producing popular Art Deco household items in the 1930s. Abundant information about Bagley and their products is easily found with an internet search. Indeed, an excellent article from June 2019 is found on our own artdecosociety.com website. It is interesting that my interest somewhat parallels the June 2019 article, with a family object stimulating a deeper interest in Art Deco design.

My first Bagley example is a small frosted uranium glass vase from the ‘Grantham’ collection. It was discovered when clearing out the family house for sale. Small, streamlined, modern, and made in several colours, this is a delightful little object. A friend speculated that in the decades around the Second World War, every young bride in Australia and New Zealand seems to have acquired a Bagley vase. The ubiquitous nature of this particular vase in homes, charity shops, as well as on eBay seems to support her theory!

My second Bagley example is a large plate with an undulating, wavy surface. The design incorporates a wide border of rose leaves surrounding a central design of three roses. This piece has a soft green glow, probably due to a low content of uranium in the glass. As with many pressed-glass objects, this design was also made in pink, blue, amber, as well as a clear finish.

Interestingly, Bagley became part of the Stölzle Glass Group in 1994 and is still in operation today. More on Stölzle later in this article.

Walther and Söhne (Germany)

Another manufacturer with roots in the 19th century is the German company Walther and Söhne. Following a merger in 1932, they became well-known for a stunning range of Art Deco centrepieces, figurines, and vases. In the photograph is a large vase of the ‘Greta’ design featured in their 1936 catalogue. It is composed of both frosted and clear uranium glass. A stunning piece under both plain or UV light. It was produced in several other colours and also in a smaller size.

The other item I have from Walther and Söhne is a pair of small lidded trinket pots from the ‘Mary’ collection. A delightfully simple scalloped design in uranium glass.

The company continued making many of their Art Deco designs into the 1960s before closing in the early 1990s.

Cambridge (United States)

A company in the United States, also with roots in the 19th Century, is Cambridge Glass, originally from Cambridge, Ohio. The heyday for this company, a prolific producer of elegant designs, seems to have been from the 1930s until the 1950s. My example from Cambridge is a cream and sugar set from the ‘Decagon’ collection. A simple design from the 1930s, with, of course, ten sides and wonderfully futuristic lightning bolt handles. It was produced in several colours in addition to green uranium glass.

The fortunes of this company ebbed and flowed over the years, with the final factory closing in the late 1950s, although the molds continued in use with another company until the mid-1980s.

Legras (France)

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Legras was a well-established and successful family company with factories in the Paris area. They catered to two distinct markets; decorative glass for the middle class and utilitarian glass for the many distillers in Paris. In the 1920s, Art Nouveau made way for Art Deco, and Legras transitioned toward more geometric designs. A timely move as Paris hosted the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in 1925.

The example in the photograph, dating from the 1920s, is a conical vase in uranium glass with a moulded geometric pattern. This is the ‘Versailles’ model and is a standout example of French Art Deco glass, probably the centrepiece of my collection.

The family sold the business in 1928, neatly missing the Wall Street crash a few years later. Legras seems to be having something of a renaissance in recent years, coming into prominence alongside some of the more famous French glass manufacturers.

Stölzle / Heřmanova (Austria/Czecheslovakia)

Stölzle glass originated in Austria in the 19th century, expanding to neighboring countries with several factories and design teams. The Czechoslovakia factory was founded in 1905 in Heřmanova Hut and is responsible for producing many Stölzle Art Deco glass objects.

My example from this manufacturer is the small 1930s ‘Rocket’ vase, a pair in attractive pink and blue. Although this vase was made with uranium glass, they seem relatively rare compared to other versions. The modern, streamlined design and rocket-finned base are just too nice to exclude from this article on uranium glass!

Unknown Manufacture

A Posy Bowl/Flower Trough in clear and frosted Uranium Glass with an attractive design incorporating typical Art Deco geometric patterns. Due to the ‘new’ appearance of the glass and the apparent absence from manufacturers’ catalogues, I think this is probably a modern product, possibly derivative of a 1930s Stölzle/Heřmanova design. I have seen an amber-coloured version online and available for purchase.

Further Information

An internet search can easily find numerous collector sites for Art Deco Glass and, in particular, uranium glass. Several books on this topic have been published, and original manufacturer catalogues are sometimes available. The eBay website seems to be a particularly good place for anyone seeking to acquire examples of uranium glass. Given the attractive designs and quality of manufacture, the costs of many items seem to be very reasonable. Some particularly useful websites I have come across include 20thcenturyglass.com, bagley-glass.com, glas-musterbuch.de. I’m sure there are many more.

Readers may also enjoy this 2019 Art Deco Society article on Bagley Glass by Keven Trickett MBE.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my close friend in Melbourne for giving me a lovely Art Deco uranium glass pot to begin my collection and for providing encouragement and expertise as I have acquired additional pieces over recent years.