Cameo paperweight
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
c. 1876
Maker
Attributed to Gillinder Glass (est. 1861)
Measurements
3-1/4 in (dia) x 1 in
Materials
Colorless glass
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of Hugh and Bayard Sharp
Accession Number
1977.591
Condition Notes
The edges of the paperweight have many small chips and flakes. The cameo has graphite (pencil) marks on the underside.
Provenance
Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp
Comments
The flat, circular disc of colorless glass displays an acid-etched cameo profile of George Washington, made by hollowing out the underside. The rim or side of the paperweight is ground to a molding profile of a central reel flanked by half rings.
William Gillinder (d. 1871) established the Philadelphia Flint Glass Works in 1861. The glass company went through a series of name changes including Gillinder & Sons (1867-1912), when this paperweight was made. At that time, the glass works was owned and run by William’s sons Frederick and James. They built a working glass plant at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, where this paperweight might have been made.
