I love love love tilt pitchers, so quintessentially glass from the depression era. This Manhattan tilt pitcher is a great example.
Hocking Glass made Manhattan during the waning years of the Great Depression into the early 1940s, 1938-1943, in crystal, many pieces of pink and a few later pieces in Royal Ruby red. The pattern is fun and so attractive with rounded, wide horizontal ribs and neat Art Deco-like shapes.
Other people must have loved tilt pitchers too because Hocking made two in the Manhattan pattern, the small one shown that holds about 24 ounces and a larger one that looks perfect for lemonade on a hot day that holds 80 ounces.
Manhattan is a fun pattern but I must confess the pitcher is hands down my favorite piece.
We had a Waterford Waffle small tilt pitcher too. This is from Hocking and no, it is not the fine Irish crystal Waterford but depression glass, mass produced in the 1930s.
Elegant glass makers made some tilt pitchers – called tilt jugs in some contemporary piece lists – such as this pretty amber one from Cambridge Glass. Dave and I got this at a national depression glass show in Tiffin, Ohio a few years ago and I like to use it for iced tea.
Cambridge made mini tilt jugs too, cute little pieces. The small tilt pitcher is on the left in this photo from a depression glass show.
Last, here is a decorated juice pitcher, I think also from Hocking, and originally came with matching small juice tumblers. We used to see decorated pitchers like this frequently at antique malls.
Watch out for cracks in tilt and upright pitchers where the handle meets the body. This close up shows how hard it can be to spot this damage.
The best way to check for cracks by handles is to hold the glass up to the light and look closely. Often the cracks look part of the pattern but they will show up. Be aware that any piece with a handle can get cracks like this, but creamers and pitchers seem to be the most susceptible, probably because we use the handle to pick up the pitcher which can weigh quite a bit when full.