H.C. FRY - Drinking service (11) - Crystal

Set of 10 liqueur goblets, height 10 cm x diameter 7.8 cm, and a bottle with stopper, height 31.5 cm x diameter 11.5 cm, in light blown crystal, mouth-blown, acid-etched. The glass features a cup slightly flared upward, decorated at the top with an acid-etched band depicting floral motifs (roses with stems and thorns) and festooned geometric elements. Just below the floral band extend slender parallel vertical etched lines that run down to the base of the cup. The stem is slender and smooth, connected to a flat circular base. Typical Art Deco / Novecento style (mid-20th century, roughly the 1930s). It carried a paper label later overwritten by various production washes: H.C. Fry Glass Company. This glassware was one of the most famous and innovative American glass and crystal manufacturers. Founded in 1901 by Henry Clay Fry in Rochester, Pennsylvania, the company marked a golden era in American glassmaking before closing its doors in 1933 due to the Great Depression. Today, Fry-signed pieces are regarded as genuine collector’s treasures. Fry recruited European glass masters (including many Swedes, Germans, and Italians) and produced iconic pieces, such as a monumental crystal replica of the Liberty Bell in 1905. The Decline and Closure (1925–1933): Despite major innovations and a peak of over a thousand employees, the company faced financial difficulties, aggravated by patent disputes (notably with Pyrex producers). After the founder’s death in 1929 and the worsening economic crisis, the glassworks permanently ceased production in 1933.