Nationality: British
Active: [at least 1813-1823]
Brief biography
Very little is know about John Tilley. Originally from England, he demonstrated glassworking in London in the 1810s. By 1813, he was using a “hydro-pneumatic blow-pipe” of his own creation in his demonstrations.
Tilley was the first known itinerant glassworker to bring his exhibition to the United States. He began advertising his show in New York City as early as August 1819. He spent the next several years demonstrating in the Northeastern United States.
