Tray 1882 - 1885

This glass tray was created by the Mount Washington Glass Company, active between 1837 and 1958. Though it appears simple, this tray is a window into the industrialization and social stratification of the Gilded Age. The rise of glass factories like Mount Washington coincided with massive shifts in labor and capital. Advances in glassmaking technology led to mass production, making decorative items like this tray more accessible to a growing middle class. Yet, this accessibility came at a cost. The labor of largely anonymous workers, many of whom were immigrants facing harsh conditions, fueled these factories. This tray, with its delicate form, speaks to the complex interplay between artistic expression, industrial production, and the human stories embedded within everyday objects. It asks us to consider whose hands shaped our material world and at what price.