Wine Glass

Art Historical Context

This delicate wine glass, crafted by Adams and Company between 1870 and 1890, exemplifies the golden age of American pressed glass production. Made from vibrant yellow glass using a mold-pressed technique, it measures just 3⅞ inches tall and 2¼ inches in diameter—perfectly sized for intimate toasts or elegant table settings. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, it was generously gifted by Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles in 1946, highlighting its enduring appeal as a slice of everyday luxury. Pressed glass revolutionized 19th-century American home life, allowing factories like Adams and Company in Pittsburgh to mass-produce affordable yet sophisticated tableware that mimicked expensive cut crystal. This yellow variant adds a warm, sunny glow, reflecting Victorian tastes for colorful, patterned glassware that brightened middle-class dining rooms during the post-Civil War industrial boom. Though simple in form, its precision-molded construction showcases the era's innovative machinery, blending utility with subtle artistry. As a cultural artifact, the glass speaks to America's growing manufacturing prowess and the democratization of beauty—once the privilege of the elite, now accessible to many. Visitors can imagine it shimmering under candlelight at a family gathering, a testament to the ingenuity of Gilded Age craftsmanship.

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...