Covered Figural Dish 1888 - 1897

This is a covered figural dish, made by Atterbury and Company, a glass manufacturer who operated in Pittsburgh from the 1860s to the 1890s. It is made from pressed glass, a technique developed in the 19th century to mechanize glass production. The duck's form is achieved through pressing molten glass into a mold. Notice the sharp, repetitive patterns simulating feathers. These details speak to the division of labor inherent in industrial manufacturing: some workers would have been responsible for mold design, others for operating the pressing machines. The glass recipe itself has social context. The purple color is achieved with manganese, which was added to remove a natural green tint caused by iron impurities. This duck dish is a product of its time. It embodies the complex relationship between industrial production, artistic design, and consumer culture. Appreciating its materiality and making process allows us to see this object not just as a decorative curiosity, but as a relic of American industrial history.