The Magazine Antiques

The Boston and Sandwich Glass Company was a major manufacturer of pressed glass in the 1800s.  Although many of their wares were not marked, in the 1930s shards of glass were excavated at the site of their factory that allowed this piece, as well as many others, to be attributed to the firm.

By 1825 the technology of pressed glass, innovated by American manufacturers, revolutionized the glass industry, making the lacy designs of cut glass less expensive and available to a wider market.

This vase was made when celery was a popular delicacy on the American dining table and was used to hold stalks upright, indicating their importance. As celery became more widely available at the end of the nineteenth century, a low rectangular dish was used instead.

The tulip design on this vase is also know as the Cape Cod Lily, a regional water flower with a solid pink color.

In America today, approximately 1.8 billion pounds of celery is produced per year, which is an excellent source of vitamins K and C, and is believed to help reduce high blood pressure.