The Glass Industry In South Boston

A history of and collectors' guide to nineteenth-century glass manufacturing in South Boston

"Glass can be decorative or utilitarian, and its forms often reflect technological innovations and social change. Drawing on an insightful selection from the Yale University Art Gallery and other collections at Yale, American Glass illuminates the vital and often intimate roles that glass has played in the nation's art and culture. Spectacularly illustrated, the publication showcases eighteenth-century mold-blown vessels, nineteenth-century pressed glass, innovative studio work, and luminous stained-glass windows by John La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany, the latter reproduced as a lush gatefold. These are considered alongside beguiling objects that broaden our expectations of glass and speak to the centrality of the medium in American life, including one of the oldest complex microscopes in the United States, an early Edison light bulb, glass-plate photography, jewelry, and more. With an essay on the history of collecting American glass and discussions of each object that present new scholarship, this engaging book tells the long and rich history of glass in America--from prehistoric minerals to contemporary sculptures"--Dust jacket front flap.

An engaging yet objective look at the 350-year old history of "Southie," a neighborhood that has survived largely unchanged since the early days of immigrant Irish families and old-time political bosses.

The ubiquitous glass container is an afterthought in modern life. Today�s marketing focus is on the beverage inside the bottle and the snappy jingle or ad that clamors for consumer attention. But before the bottle was filled, it had to be made. Prior to the automated machines invented by Michael Owens, child labor was the backbone in producing inconsistent and unsanitary containers for foods, beverages, and medicines. In this biography of the unassuming visionary, artist, and craftsman, Skrabec�s historical account of glass making sets the stage for the revolutionary inventions of Michael Owens, a big-picture, true-to-life Horatio Alger character. His automated inventions were vital to electric lighting, food and beverage packaging, advanced optics, and automotive safety. The reduction of child labor was a direct and significant outcome of his inventions. With nine companies and forty-nine patents bearing his name, Michael J. Owens ultimately became known as the father of project management. This is an engaging account of this unpretentious, resourceful, colorful, and dynamic industrialist and inventor.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.