Cake Plate
1870–90
Medium
Pressed yellow glass
Dimensions
H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm); Diam. 10 in. (25.4 cm)
Classification
Cake plate
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles, 1946
Accession Number
46.140.538
Art Historical Context
This elegant Cake Plate, crafted by the American glassmakers Adams and Company between 1870 and 1890, exemplifies the ingenuity of late 19th-century pressed glass production. Made from vibrant yellow glass, it measures 6½ inches high and 10 inches diameter, perfect for serving confections at Victorian-era gatherings. The pressed glass technique—molten glass forced into detailed molds under pressure—allowed for affordable yet sophisticated tableware that mimicked the luxury of hand-cut crystal, making beauty accessible to the growing middle class. Housed in The American Wing of the Metropolita...
About the Artist
Adams and Company
Adams and Company was an American pressed glass manufacturer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose products exemplify the ingenuity and industrial ambition of Gilded Age glassmaking in the United States. The firm traces its origins to Adams, Mackin & Co., established in Pittsburgh in 1851; by 1861 it had reorganized as Adams and Company, operating under that name through 1891, when it became Fa...