H.C. FRY - Drinking service (10) - Crystal

Set of 10 champagne coupes of which one has a small chip (see photo) height 11.3 x diameter 10.3 cm in lightweight blown crystal with acid-etched engraving. The glass features a slightly outward-flared cup decorated at the upper part by an acid-etched band depicting floral motifs (roses with stems and thorns) and festooned geometric elements. Just below the floral band, thin parallel vertical incised lines extend down toward the base of the cup. The stem is slender and smooth, connected to a flat circular base. Typical Art Deco / Twentieth Century style (mid-20th century, circa the 1930s). It bore a paper label then later re-marked by various production washes: H.C. Fry Glass Company. This crystal glassware was one of the most renowned and innovative glass and crystal manufacturers in the United States. 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 real 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 great innovations and a peak of over a thousand employees, the company faced financial difficulties, aggravated by patent disputes (particularly with Pyrex producers). After the founder’s death in 1929 and the worsening economic crisis, the glassworks finally ceased production in 1933.