A colorful glass display, seminars, and a building full of American-made glass and pottery will highlight the 14th annual Elegant and Depression Glass Show and Sale in Nashville. The show will be July 20-21 in the Exhibitor Building at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. Show hours are 10 am. to 5 pm. on Saturday, and 11 am. to 3 pm. on Sunday. Admission is $5 and is good for both days.
Over 20 nationally known dealers will fill the building with a variety of vintage glassware with an emphasis on elegant and depression glass. Depression glass is the colorful glassware that was made in the 1920s and 1930s. Because the glassware was inexpensive, designs were often molded into the glassware to hide imperfections. The baby boom generation may associate this glass with what their grandparents and great-grandparents used. Companies such as Jeanette, Hocking, Hazel-Atlas and Federal made depression glass in many different patterns and colors.
Elegant glass was made over a longer time span than depression glass, and it is generally of better quality. Intricate designs were often etched or cut into the glass. Manufacturers such as Cambridge, Fenton, Fostoria, Heisey, Tiffin, Imperial and Westmoreland made the glassware that is now classified as elegant. Because these manufacturers no longer exist, the only way to acquire American-made glassware today is at antique shops and glass shows.
Many of the dealers will also offer American-made pottery from companies that are no longer in business. These companies include McCoy, Shawnee, Roseville, Watt and Weller.
The featured display pattern for this year’s show will be the Crown Collection produced by Fostoria Glass Company from 1961 to 1965. George Sakier, an internationally acclaimed designer, was responsible for the Crown pattern. The Crown Collection consisted of 10 different pieces in four patterns that were based on famous crown designs of Old World Europe. It was produced in crystal, royal blue, gold and ruby, and a complete collection in all patterns and colors consists of over 50 pieces. After Fostoria Glass Co. closed in 1986, Indiana Glass Co. and Fenton Art Glass Co. produced some items using Crown moulds. The display will include several of these pieces to emphasize differences in the Fostoria items and those made by other manufacturers.
The Crown Collection will also be the topic of a seminar at 1:00 o’clock on Saturday. Larry Duke, a Fostoria Glass Society of Tennessee (FGST) member and a collector of the Crown pattern will lead the seminar.
A second seminar on Saturday at 3 p.m. will focus on The Elegant Years. Jack Peacock, a dealer from North Carolina who exhibits at numerous shows throughout the U.S., will discuss the characteristics and attributes of glassware that is classified as elegant.
Another seminar will be held on Sunday at 1 p.m. The seminar will focus on Fostoria’s Brazilian pattern and advertising pieces in other patterns made by Fostoria Glass Co. The Brazilian pattern was made from 1898 to 1912 and includes many pieces that are typical of glassware production at that time. Harold Roth, a FGST member, will discuss how the pieces were used originally and how they may be repurposed for use today.
The Fostoria Glass Society of Tennessee, a chapter of the Fostoria Glass Society of America, hosts the show. Proceeds from the show are used to support the Fostoria Glass Museum in Moundsville, WV, and other organizations that preserve the history and artistry of American glassmakers.
For more information about the show, call 615 856-4259 or go to www.fostoria-tennessee.com or www.facebook.com/fostoriaglass.tn.