Antique Paperweights

_Christian Doerflinger, of Doerflinger & Sons, was born in Alsace-Lorraine in 1828. He came to America in 1841 and worked in two different factories in Brooklyn. In 1852 he opened his first factory on Concord Street but later established himself on Plymouth Street.  Although the first output of this factory consisted of glass blanks, attention was turned later to the manufacture of glass for use in illumination, such as lamps, chimneys, and prisims.  Eventually another Doerflinger  factory was established at White Mills, Wayne Coounty, Pennsylvania, which engaged in the production of fine stemware. In 1860 this factory received a large order of stem ware from Cuba to be engraved with the Cuban coat-of-arms. From 1880 to 1916  Doerflinger furnished the White House with its requirements of plate glass, the choice being made by the first lady of the land, and the engraving being done to her order. The flint glass produced in the Doerflinger factory was considered in its day to be among the finest made in America.

_The custom of inscribing peronal possessions, like plates, jewelry, and silverware with the name or initial of the owner is believed by many to be a modern idea. A little investigation shows that it is nothingvof the sort. It was in vogue in the time of Queen Hatason in ancient Egypt, and descended to us through pagan, clasical, and early Christian times. Far from being new, the practice belongs among the oldest customs of humankind.