About Mary Gregory Glassware

The legend goes that Mary Gregory was a remarkable woman who hand painted enamel decorations on thousands of pieces of glassware. Toiling away using white enamel to create portraits of children on colourful glassware around the turn of the 19th century. She focused on tykes, it was supposed, because she never married and needed an outlet for her motherly tenderness.

Guess what? This incredible story turned out to be no more than a myth.

Glassware historians Raymond Barlow and Joan Kaiser, who did extensive research on the topic for The Glass Industry in Sandwich, found that Gregory did work for the Boston and Sandwich factory from 1880 to 1884, long before the type of glass bearing her name went on the market in the UK.

Gregory, who died on May 24, 1908, painted a far different type of scene on the lamps she adorned, according to notes in her dairy. Think "Gone with the Wind" type lamps decorated with winter scenes and landscapes and you'll get a pretty good picture of the Victorian artwork Gregory produced.

Even though the legend has been firmly dispelled now thanks to diligent research, the habit of referring to this type of decoration as "Mary Gregory" has not slowed one bit. In fact, the usage has actually intensified and most white enamel decor on glass is referred to as "Mary Gregory" or at least "Mary Gregory style" in sale descriptions today.

Although the original Mary Gregory myth led folks to believe white enamelled glass originated in the U.S., the Europeans actually mastered the art well before it became popular in the States. Many of the pieces from Europe were not all white, but had coloured flesh and hair.

Imported novelty items bearing this type of decoration included many sets such as pitchers with matching glasses and water sets. Collectors will find single vases and decorative boxes for sale, too. And they're not all done on cranberry glass. Look for red, green, cobalt blue and even aquamarine coloured glass with white enamel as well.

One of the problems, however, is telling the age of the pieces. If you are really looking for only the older items produced around 1900, then assessing the weight of the glass will be a telling clue.

In general, the older pieces will have a lighter feel since they were mouth blown into a mould rather than being machine moulded like the pieces produced by Westmoreland from the late 1950's until 1985 when the company went out of business.

Examining the quality of the enamel work also sheds some light on the age, since most of the older pieces were finely detailed. On newer pieces, "the facial features are almost animal-like," said Robert Truitt in an online article titled "Mary Gregory - Myth and Mystery."

Truitt also noted the clothing on early examples to have a three-dimensional effect making them "a poor man's cameo." Newer pieces, in comparison, look rather rough and amateurish.

Quality and age factors often determine value with this type of glassware, so it is good to examine a piece closely to determine when it was manufactured before buying or selling.

Finding older pieces is not the only way to enjoy this style of glassware, however. Fenton continues to produce some beautifully coloured glass with white enamel decor many folks enjoy collecting along with other pieces dubbed "Mary Gregory" that have been produced nearly constantly for over a century.

• Browse through our Mary Gregory Cranberry Glass
• Browse through our Mary Gregory Glass in other colours
• Search this web site for a specific item.