It’s Saturday, a wonderful day especially after a not very good week for me. I hope last week was good for you and that we all enjoy next week!
Our glass pick of the week is the Fostoria Romance etched center handled server, so apropos in June, the month of weddings, showers and anniversaries!
To me center handled servers are THE pieces for vintage glass. You just don’t see them today, yet they are as practical as they are beautiful. A piece like this would be perfect to serve cookies, cupcakes, sandwiches, even chips or veggies. Plus it is so pretty. I love the curved handle that looks like a plume. That plume handle is from the Sonata shape that Fostoria used for several patterns including Romance. It looks even better in person.
By the time Fostoria made Romance, from 1942 to 1971, colored glass had waned in popularity and some critical colorant ingredients were difficult to come by due to the war. These factors combined meant that Fostoria made very little colored glass and their lovely, clear crystal was back in vogue.
Fostoria marketed heavily to the jewelry store and higher end department stores and published little brochures with tips for glass and line drawings of the patterns. These were give away marketing materials that helped keep Fostoria on brides’ wedding registry lists for years. Fostoria also advertised in the shelter and women’s magazines, also with the message that their glass was quality, with great designs and in perfect taste. These efforts kept Fostoria in business long after their competitors Heisey, Cambridge, Morgantown had gone bankrupt.
If you enjoy Romance this is a good time to start getting pieces for yourself. It is still available and moderately priced and you can get enough pieces to use without a huge investment of time or money. Also you can find pieces in good condition, something that is a little harder with some older patterns from the 1920s or 1930s.