One Hundred Years of Creating Beauty in Glass

19th Edition of Collectibles Market Guide & Price Index
2004 Edition

Fenton Art Glass is renowned for creating beautiful and unique colors in glass - from rich shades such as Cranberry, Mulberry and Burmese - to the iridescent rainbows found on Carnival glass and the graduated opaque hues of Periwinkle Blue. Fenton's fiery opalescent glass gleams in transparent colored glass that shades to opaque white.

Located in Williamstown, West Virginia, the Fenton plant is one of the rare locations where the public may still observe the fascinating process of creating beautiful, colorful handmade glass. A family business - members of the fourth generation of Fentons have now joined the enterprise - Fenton's designs show an appreciation of the past by preserving the glass arts of bygone eras while also developing new colors and designs to coordinate with contemporary trends in home decorating.

BEAUTY OUT OF FIRE

Glass is a demanding substance, requiring of the glassmaker skill, confidence and abundant respect. Much of the charm of Fenton Art Glass comes from its crimped and fluted shapes that can only be created by hand. The shape and surface patterns of many pieces are determined by special moulds. Fenton has its own mould shop, which enhances the company's ability to develop and introduce new designs. Patterns and designs are chiseled into the cast iron moulds by hand. Complex designs may take several months to replicate exactly, and a new mould may require an investment of $20,000 or more.

The main ingredients in Fenton glass are sand, soda ash, and lime. In some opaque glasses, fluorspar and feldspar are substituted for lime. Coloring ingredients are mixed with the main ingredients before melting. Once the raw materials are mixed, they are placed in a "pot" or "day tank" to melt at a temperature of about 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. The pots are inside a furnace which circulates flames outside of the pots. No flame touches the glass directly. The day tank, about three times larger than a pot, melts glass fire directly on the batch. It takes 24-30 hours for a pot melt and about 12 hours for a day tank melt.

Highly skilled workers called gatherers wind hot molten glass on a hollow blowpipe or the tip of a long steel rod called a punty. After judging the proper amount, the gatherer must shape the gob of glass properly and drop it precisely in the center of the mould.

The presser's function is to ensure that the glass takes the proper form of the mould. Too much pressure, and the glass will shatter; too little pressure and the mould will not fill properly.

For some pieces, the molten glass is blown into a mould to form the basic shape and pattern. Finishers use what is known as pucellas or "tool" and a cherry wood paddle to finalize the form, flaring, crimping and/or straightening the glass. This requires a well-honed sense of timing because all these actions must be completed before the glass cools into its solid form.

The tools and techniques used by Fenton's finishers have remained essentially unchanged for over a century. Many Fenton decorations are painted by hand and signed by the artists who complete them. Special pieces may also carry the signature of a Fenton family member.

BRINGING NEW LIFE TO AMERICAN CLASSICS

In recent years, Fenton has brought new life to classic designs by employing moulds used in the past by U.S. glassmakers. At a recent visit with officials of the Indiana Glass Company, the Fenton mould shop employees spent hundreds of hours examining thousands of moulds ranging from early twentieth century Indiana or Duncan-Miller moulds to moulds dating from the 1940s-60s that Indiana glass had acquired in the 1980s from the Fostoria and Imperial companies. Nancy Fenton, Fenton's Director of Design, pored over photos of the moulds, selecting those to be sent immediately to Fenton's facility.

"I saw so many wonderful things," said Nancy, "and I was excited to see how some of them would look in our newest colors and treatments." Nearly 3,000 moulds were acquired from Indiana Glass, and some have already seen new life in Fenton's 2004 introductions.

A VARIETY OF COLORS AND FORMS

Each year, Fenton Art Glass produces new pieces for several popular series in strictly limited editions. These include the Family Signature Series, The Centennial Collection, Connoisseur Collection, Collectible Eggs, and Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter limited editions.

The Family Signature Series includes a few select pieces which represent the glassworker's and decorator's finest creations. Classic moulds from the past inspire the Historical Collection pieces, all made in unique colors and treatments. The Connoisseur Collection features a small grouping of art objects made in exotic glass treatments.

For Christmas, Fenton produces an annual limited edition collection including Santas and Angels - all entirely handpainted. For Valentine's Day and Spring, Fenton introduces new items each year in the Mary Gregory style of painting. Mouth-blown eggs and hand-pressed collectibles eggs are showcased in Fenton's Easter offerings.

Collectors will find that retailers who have Fenton Showcase Dealer status may offer exclusive Fenton pieces. QVC, the television broadcasting channel, first featured Fenton in 1988, and continues to host George Fenton (President), or Scott Fenton (National Sales Manager), or Nancy Fenton (Director of Design), or Shelley Fenton Ash (Graphics Manager and QVC Product Coordinator), to present new pieces and share details about their creations with viewers. QVC schedules several Fenton Art Glass shows each year. See www.qvc.com for information on the schedule.

RESOURCES FOR COLLECTORS

Fenton invites collectors to subscribe to its quarterly publication,
Glass Messenger. For a subscription price of just $12.00, collectors receive four colorful issues of Glass Messenger and the opportunity to purchase exclusive pieces of Fenton Glass that have been designed for and are available only to subscribers. New subscribers also receive a decorative storage binder. The Glass Messenger gives collectors an insider's look at the intricate, specialized processes involved in creating handmade art glass, provides a priority opportunity to view new products, and fascinates with the rich history of Fenton Glass and stories about the Fenton family and the company's dedicated employees.

Subscribers to the Fenton Glass Messenger may purchase two Member Exclusives during 2004: a Cranberry Opalescent vase and the Sleeping Kitten in French Opalescent. Both pieces are handpainted and each is numbered, dated and signed by a Fenton family member.

Collectors may also join one of the two national organizations:

The Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America (FAGCA)
P.O. Box 384, Williamstown, WV 26187
304-375-6196 fagcainc.wirefire.com

The National Fenton Glass Society (NFGS)
P.O. Box 4008, Marietta, OH 45750
740-374-3345 www.fentonglasssociety.org

Collectors visiting the Williamstown, West Virginia, facility can take regularly scheduled tours of the glassmaking process and visit the Fenton Museum. Collectors are invited to call the Fenton Gift Shop at (304) 375-7772 for specifics on the free tours or visit the web site: www.fentonartglass.com

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF QUALITY IN 2005

Today, Fenton family members and employees are looking forward to celebrating the company's 100th anniversary during 2005. More than 400 employees and 10 family members work in the management of the company and much has happened since the company was founded in 1905 by Frank L. Fenton and his brother, John. The Fenton family takes pride in the fact that Fenton glass has itself become a contemporary American tradition.

Fenton Art Glass
700 Elizabeth Street
Williamstown, WV 26187
Phone: 304-375-6122
Fax: 304-375-7833
Web Site: www.fentonartglass.com