Petalware - Pretty Depression Glass with Fanciful Decorations

Petalware is one of MacBeth Evans popular depression glass patterns and it comes in pink, cremax, monax, Ivrene, plus a few pieces in crystal or other colors. Monax is a soft white, translucent glass; cremax and Ivrene are tradenames for a darker shade of cream. MacBeth Evans eventually became part of Corning but was independent during the depression. Petalware dates to the 1930s but was made into the 1940s as well.

It is a very pretty pattern in any color, but my favorite is the white monax with the Florette red flower design pictured on a salad plate. These were hand painted and should be hand washed to preserve the design.

If you like this pattern, you may want to seek out various other designs. There is an Iverene decorated with pastel bands that is popular and chic, and several flower-bedecked cheerful designs on monax. Find your favorite, or mix and match. You'll be glad you chose fresh happy Petalware!

Plate shown is available in these two sites:

http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/

http://stores.ebay.com/Vintage-Elegant-Depression-Glass

MacBeth Evans Monax - the Other White Glass

When is white glass not milk glass? Sometimes it is lovely monax depression glass from MacBeth Evans. MacBeth Evans was eventually bought out by Corning and you can recognize its legacy in the Corelle dinnerware. Monax is different.

The earlier monax white depression glass was thin, translucent with opalescent rims. MacBeth Evans used monax with its pure white to great effect with mold etched designs like American Sweetheart and Petalware. American Sweetheart is already quite ornate because the molded design is complex, but Petalware was a simple pattern that cried out to be decorated. And decorated it was!

We show two pieces, a salad plate with the red flower and green leaf spray handpainted design called Florette, and the saucer with a gold decal. Both are pretty and both look very different, hardly like the same pattern at all. Yet both are Petalware monax depression glass by MacBeth Evans!

Cat Lady Kate offers both of these in the TIAS store Cat Lady Kate's Elegant and Depression Glass, http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/

Dogwood Pink Depression Glass - Large Flowered Beauty

Recently I got a large set of Dogwood by MacBeth Evans from an antique dealer. This is pink, thin glass with a design of large four-petaled flowers and leaves. It’s quite pretty. I thought long and hard about buying all this, as you can imagine, because it was expensive and because this came from the ex-dealer. After all, she couldn’t sell it, so why would I? Anyway, I took the plunge and now have a nice set of Dogwood.

The valuable pieces in almost any depression pattern are the cereal and soup bowls, tumblers and some serving pieces. I got the cereal bowls, larger serving bowl, and best of all, four tumblers! Dogwood sherbets are scarce and we got some of them too. The cereal bowl and sherbet are shown in the photos.

MacBeth Evans made Dogwood in pink and green from 1929 to 1932, so it is one of the earliest depression glass patterns. Sometimes people call this Apple Blossom or Wild Rose because of the open flowers with wide petals, but this design has four petals, not five as would an apple or rose blossom. Dogwood is mold-etched, which means the design was etched into the mold and not into the glass. This method allowed glass companies to mass produce fanciful designs with intricate patterns quickly and with no hand work. Dogwood looks a little like the gorgeous brocade etches with its all-over pattern.

MacBeth Evans is the same glass company which made American Sweetheart and Petalware. Dogwood may be slightly less well-known than American Sweetheart, but it shares the same thin glass, pretty shapes and beautiful design.