During the 17th and 18th century, most itinerant glassworkers traveled and demonstrated on their own; a few did so with a partner (often a family member). This began to change in the mid-19th century, when troupes like the Original Bohemian Troupe of Fancy Glass Workers formed. These groups often included a mix of family members and unrelated individuals. The trend took hold most strongly in the United States and, beginning around the time of the Centennial Exposition in 1876, it seems as though most demonstrators performed as part of a group rather than on their own.
Nona, Ethel, and Grace Howell are pictured here alongside their male relatives. Howell Family of Chelmsford, 1937-1945. Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, CMGL 151522.
Madam J. Reith’s Troupe of American and Bohemian Glass Blowers, 1891. Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, CMGL 161787.
Fraser’s Venetian Troupe of Fancy Glass Blowers in Their Grand Promenade and Pleasing Entertainments. Boston: A. M. Lunt, 1871. Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, CMGL 161855.
Pamphlet Advertising Glass Blowing Exhibition, 1904. Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, CMGL 131361.
Madame Nora’s Original Troupe of Glassblowers, 1876? Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, CMGL 132079.
Robert M. Howell, Jr. and Wife Marie Howell Flameworking, 1960. Collection of the Rakow Research Library, The Corning Museum of Glass, CMGL 152162.
Troupes morphed frequently: glassworkers came and left, formed their own troupes, spent a season or more with a circus or at a museum, or reunited with old troupe members under a new name. In the 20th century this changed again — more glassworkers demonstrated on their own and troupes were primarily made up of family members.
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