Somerville American Paperweights
| The "Three Little Pigs" of nursery story fame were represented in glas by Philip Banano at Somerville, Massachusetts long before their exploits were celebrated in the motion picture by Walt Disney. They and their offspring have come down to us through many reproductions in ceramics, wood and glass. The Union Glass Works where Banano was employed, was taken over by the South Ferry Glass Company of Brooklyn in 1864 and was operated under the management of that company until 1868. The factory was then moved to Corning, New York, and in 1875 was reorganized as the Corning Glass Works which is today one of the largest and finest in the world. (See Illustration 65.)
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The name and reputation of the Corning Glass Works has done much to bring public realization that glass is now one of the most widely used and essential materials in our industrial civilization. Among the astonishing modern achievements of Corning is a glass which is as resistant to high temperature and as transparent to certain rays as quartz. This product is made from 96% pure silica. In marveling over the modern achievements of a company like Corning, it is at the same time a satisfaction to reflect that a product made by this company, the beautiful, engraved Steuben glass, is highly prized today in the Museums of both America and Europe.
While we express our admiration at the achievements of great modern manufacturers like Corning we feel regret that the conditions of industrial operation have so far changed that certain of the beautiful and artistic objects formerly made of glass are no longer produced. They are no longer made, simply because they do not pay.
