Hocking Glass Mayfair Depression Glass

This pitcher is Mayfair pink depression glass by Hocking. This pattern has vertical ribs and wide panels with open roses grouped in a bouquet. Many pieces are square as is this pitcher.Hocking made Mayfair for several years, 1931 to 1937, and in a soft blue plus some green, yellow and clear in addition to the pink. The blue is very scarce and I've seen only a couple pieces. It is a soft blue, not cobalt.

A few pieces of Mayfair have been reproduced, notably the pitcher, shot glass, shakers and cookie jar. The handle on the pitcher shown here is a smooth curve that comes horizontally off the body. The repro handles are odd shaped. Also, the base on the originals have round mold marks with the repros lack.

Good depression glass books will give details on how to tell repros from originals. Often the repros will be poorly molded or be strange colors that were never made

Cameo Depression Glass from Hocking Glass

This is the cup with fancy scrolled handle in Hockings' Cameo depression glass. Cameo is nicknamed Ballerina or Dancing Girl because the design in the frame is a lady dancing.

One book I read mentioned the pattern had originally been based on Isidora Duncan who was one of the early modern dance artists. She shocked audiences by dancing barefoot and in draperies and scarves.

Originally Monongah Glass made Springtime with this same design. Springtime was an etched pattern that required handwork and Monongah was an elegant glass company. Etching is labor intensive and does not lend itself to fast mass production. Hocking Glass bought Monongah and adapted the beautiful Springtime etch to Cameo. Cameo is mold etched, which means the mold was etched which then could be used to mass produce glass with the design pressed onto the surface. Cameo was just as popular as Springtime and is still one of the most beloved depression patterns today!

More Block Optic - Sugars Have Different Shapes

Last post we showed two of the varied cup shapes in Hocking's Block Optic. This shows two of the sugars. There are two more shapes besides these two; one is flat and the other is similar to the yellow version show except it has a larger foot and is more flared.

One of the give-aways for glass from Hocking is the cute scrolled handle on the yellow sugar. It is the same shape as the handle on the cup we showed last time.

There are matching creamers for these sugar shapes too. In our area, mid-Michigan, the two we show are the most common.

Many people enjoy collecting creamers and sugars. You can see that Block Optic will be fun and a bit of a challenge with its multiple variations!