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!

Block Optic Depression Glass - A Chameleon in Cups

Hocking's Block Optic depression glass comes in green, yellow, pink and the occassional crystal. You can see why the pattern got its name. The vertical lines are actually slightly molded on the inside and the horizontal lines are more definite and are on the outside; together it looks like molded blocks. The interior molding is called an "optic" and it adds an extra design element. In this case the optic was a clever way to make a sparkling pattern.

One of the neat things about Block Optic is that it was made in many shapes which makes it a fun pattern to collect. Hocking even made multiple styles of cups, creamers and sugars! One of my books shows six shapes altogether and we've had four of them. You want to be careful if you order via mail or internet to check the photos and descriptions. This particular one has the fancy handle, with an extra little scroll at the top. There are three distinct cup shapes - round like the one shown, cone shaped and a squarish mug, and four handle shapes.