Early American Blown Glass Inkwell

This glass inkwell is a distinctive piece of early American glass, highly prized by collectors.

Description and Technical Details

• Material and Color: Blown Glass in a dark olive green (or “blackglass”) color. The thickness and dark color are typical of glass made in the early 19th century, often resulting from impurities in the sand and the desire to protect the contents from light.
• Form and Size: It is a medium-size inkwell, measuring approximately 1 ¾” high and 2 ½” in diameter. Its shape is cylindrical with a slight, squat profile.
• Manufacturing Technique: Three-Mold Blown Glass. This technique was used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to produce complex, patterned items quickly and cheaply. The glass was blown into a hinged mold (typically with three sections) that impressed the pattern onto the object.
• Pattern: The pattern is a diamond hobnail (or diamond diaper pattern) on the main body, with ribs or vertical fluting around the base. The contrast between the two molded patterns is a key feature of this type of glass.
• Base Markings: The base features an open pontil scar. This is the rough, circular mark left when the pontil rod (used to hold the glass during finishing) was snapped off. It is a sign of hand-finished, pre-mechanized glass production.
• Top/Mouth: It has an applied disc top, meaning the mouth of the inkwell was finished and fitted with an applied ring or disc of glass to create a smooth, functional opening for dipping a pen.
• Origin: Attributed to a Coventry glasshouse (most likely in Connecticut or New York), a major center for early American glass production in the 1820s.
• Provenance: It has an auction sticker on the bottom identifying it as “Hambridge Collection No. 19,” confirming its history as part of a documented collection.

“McKearin GII-16”

“McKearin GII-16” is a crucial classification for dating and identifying this piece.

• McKearin: Refers to George S. and Helen McKearin, authors of the definitive 1941 reference book, American Glass. This book established the primary classification system for early American pattern glass, including the three-mold blown glass series.
• GII-16: This is the specific code within the McKearin classification system:
  • G stands for Glass.
  • II stands for the Second General Type of three-mold blown glass, which typically denotes the inkwells, bowls, and tablewares that feature patterns combining vertical ribs and diamond or sunburst designs.
  • 16 is the specific pattern number within that group. McKearin Pattern GII-16 is specifically assigned to inkwells that exhibit a diamond diaper pattern combined with vertical ribbing on the base, matching this inkwell exactly.

• In summary, the mark “McKearin GII-16” confirms that this inkwell is a historically recognized type of early American Three-Mold Blown Glass, standardized by the most authoritative reference on the subject.

Age and Additional Findings

• Age: The combination of the three-mold technique, the open pontil scar, the applied top, the dark color, and the McKearin GII-16 classification supports the dating of this inkwell to the 1820s.

The “Coventry region” in the context of early American glass refers primarily to the town of Coventry, Connecticut. The name is almost synonymous with one specific, highly important glasshouse.

Here is a breakdown of the primary glasshouses operating in that region during the 1820s and the one most directly associated with this inkwell.

Glasshouses in the Coventry, CT, Region (Circa 1820s)

The primary producer of glass in that region, and the one attributed to manufacturing the McKearin GII-16 inkwell, is the Coventry Glass Works.

1. Coventry Glass Works

• Location: Coventry, Connecticut (specifically in a section now part of the Coventry Glass Factory Historic District).
• Period of Operation: Established in 1813 and operated until about 1845 (or 1848/49). The 1820s fell right in its heyday.
• Proprietors during the 1820s: The ownership and management of the factory changed hands frequently. Around the 1820s, it was operated by:
  • Thomas Stebbins: Believed to be operating the works by 1820. He is credited with creating the first American “portrait flasks” (like the Lafayette flask, in 1824–1825).
  • Stebbins & Chamberlin: The firm became this around 1825.
  • Gilbert, Turner & Company: Took over in 1828.
• Products: They were a significant “powerhouse” of production, manufacturing a wide variety of utilitarian items, including:
  • Small bottles, porters, wines, snuffs, and blacking bottles.
  • Historical Flasks (their most famous product, often bearing busts of figures like Lafayette).
  • Inkwells, including the Blown Three-Mold Wares like this GII-16 pattern.
• Attribution to Your Inkwell: This GII-16 inkwell is attributed to the Coventry Glass Works. The pattern, color (dark olive green/black glass), technique (three-mold blown with open pontil), and period of manufacture align perfectly with the known output of this factory.

2. Pitkin Glass Works

• Location: Manchester, Connecticut (originally East Hartford, not far from Coventry).
• Period of Operation: Established in 1783 and operated until about 1830.
• Relevance to This Inkwell: Pitkin was one of the earliest and most important American glasshouses. They produced similar utilitarian wares and are famous for the “Pitkin-type” flasks (a distinctive spiral-ribbed pattern).
  • The “Pitkin” name is often used as a general term for certain styles of early Connecticut glass. While this GII-16 pattern is specifically Coventry, it is part of the broader New England tradition that Pitkin helped establish.

Key Takeaway for This Inkwell

While there were other minor glass operations in New England at the time (like those in Willington, CT), the specific classification of this piece as a McKearin GII-16 combined with its dark olive color and location makes the Coventry Glass Works the unequivocal source. This piece of glass represents the height of early American ingenuity in manufacturing everyday objects.