I love to hold a piece of older glass and try to imagine who owned it first. How did they get it? Why did they buy this when they could have gotten something else? Who were they and what was their life like?
Old magazines and ads showed ladies working in tiny kitchens with just a few cupboards. Sometimes they had only one counter and only the cupboard around the sink. It doesn’t seem like families would have had room for extra dishes, does it? Of course many people had kitchen tables they used as extra work space or tall, free standing cupboards, what we might call a china hutch today, to store dinnerware and glasses.
Miss America Pink Depression Glass 4-Part Relish Dish
Someone treasured this Miss America pink relish tray. It is in perfect condition, meaning they probably kept it for “good” and didn’t use it more than a few times a year. This relish dish looks the perfect size for us now, but when you consider that families were larger back in the 1930s, I wonder how they put enough carrots, radishes and olives in this to feed everyone. Maybe the relishes were meant as a treat and each person only got a piece or two.
Miss America looks fancy. It is depression glass, so it wasn’t real expensive. Some pieces were even given away as premiums. Families who had this glass most likely viewed it as their “good dishes”. They didn’t use pieces like the relish tray every day.
Glass that has a few scratches or even a bit of roughness has its own appeal. You know someone used it, probably enjoyed having it. Maybe they used it every day and their depression glass was the only dinnerware they had. This Cameo large dinner plate is a perfect example. It has just a bit of wear and it’s beautiful. Someone loved it enough to buy it and use it, maybe every day!
Cameo Green Depression Glass 10 inch Dinner Plate or Sandwich Plate
The next time you get your vintage glass out, take a moment and imagine. Who had it first? What were they like? Lucky you if your glass came from your family because then you have a tangible link and you know the history. Even if you bought your glass the way I did my Rose Point stemware, online from eBay, you honor the past when you value the memories.