Depression Glass - A lasting impression

A rainbow of colors brightens the tabletop for a nostalgic step back in time to days that weren't so cheery.

 The Great Depression, beginning in 1929, certainly left its dark mark on the history and economy of the United States, but the era also paved the way to a modern hobby featuring fragile, machine-pressed glassware.

Pink, green, ruby red, amethyst, cobalt blue and yellow light up dishware, vases and serving platters of days gone by.

Once mass-produced, the cherished collections of tinted glass from the late 1920s to the 1940s continue to be passed down from generation to generation and traded among avid hobbyists.

Odessan Faye Roper, a member of the Permian Basin Depression Glass Club, said she started collecting the usable, antique art when she was a teenager.

"My mom gave me a cream pitcher and sugar bowl with a lid that was a wedding present to them - they married during the Depression, in 1930," she said. "It's a pink, ‘Adam' pattern - those were the only two piece she had."

Depression glass - usually translucent in color - was actually inexpensive for its time, Roper said, but today's collectors can spend a pretty penny in adding to their display of pieces. It's easy to spend $400 to $500 on a nice place setting.

"There are still very affordable patterns for people who are beginning to collect, too," Roper said.

The colors, exquisite patterns and glass quality distinguish the real Depression antiques from the fake knockoffs and strike conversation with dinner guests when Roper pulls the pieces out for use.

"Why have  a collection if you're not going to use it and enjoy it?" she said. "It's not something to put in the microwave or dishwasher, though - I hand wash it."

Not only does the Depression Glass Club hold an annual glass show, but its members also collaborated their collectibles to create an exhibit of Depression Glass for the White-Pool House Museum.

The club has more than 20 members - a handful of which are men - and has existed for more than 30 years.

Club member Christine Holcomb said she inherited three of her grandmother's glass items when she died in 1981, starting her very own Depression glass collection.

"They're cracked and chipped, but my father reminded me that they bought it to use it - they didn't buy it to collect it," she said.
Holcomb said minerals, costly by today's standards, were used to make the colored glass.

"To make a deep ruby red, they used gold, and uranium was used to make green," she said. "The color is true all the way through."

Club president Jackie Lumry said her mother started collecting the glassware in the 1970s, but her interest passed to Lumry when she bought her first piece at a show - a water tumbler made by McKee Glass Co.

 "I think it stems from my mom growing up in the Depression, and they actually used that as tableware," Lumry said. "The pattern that I chose jumped out at me - it's called ‘American Rock Crystal.' "

Because the Depression glassware is no longer manufactured, Lumry said her desire for specific, matching pieces can turn into an intense search.

"I look on eBay for my particular pattern because mine is so difficult to find," she said. "It's an expensive little hobby, but it's fun."

Roper said interest in Depression glass tends to run hot and cold - partially because some people think it's just junk.

"Believe it or not, there're still people that don't know what they have," she said. "People's heirs aren't interested, and they just call it, ‘that old stuff.' "

ON THE NET
>> National Depression Glass Association: www.ndga.net

WANT TO SEE SOME?
>> ‘Depres-sion Glass' is on display through Sept. 13 at the White-Pool House Museum, 112 E. Murphy St.
>> Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
>> Donations are accepted.
>> Call 333-4072.

WANT TO GO?
>> The Permian Basin Depression Glass Club meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 1601 E. 42nd St.
>> The next meeting is Tuesday.
>> Call 362-0131.

WANT TO START YOUR OWN COLLECTION?
>> The 33rd annual Glass and Antiques Show and Sale, sponsored by the Permian Basin Depression Glass Club, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 11 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Sherwood Park Community Center, 49th Street and Everglade Ave.
>> Vendors will feature vintage furniture, Depression glass, elegant glass, kitchen items, toy, jewelry, linens, books, collectibles and antiques of all kinds.
>> Admission is $3, good for both days.
>> Call 362-0131.