Glass whimsies

Creator

William Franzen and Son, 1900-1922

Date

• 1900-1920

Summary

• Three glass whimsies, William Franzen and Son, Milwaukee, early twentieth century. Long-stemmed flower in green glass, a purple glass flower with a curving stem, and a green glass hat.
• The professional glassblowers who worked in factories to produce jars, bottles, and window glass sometimes created glass "whimsies," also known as "end-of-day glass," during slow work periods or with materials left over at the end of a shift. These ornamental one-of-a-kind objects included canes, chains, ladles, and fanciful shapes such as the flowers and hat shown here. According to the records of the Milwaukee Public Museum, these whimsies were made by employees of William Franzen and Son, a Milwaukee glass manufactory. They may have been made as gifts for the young boys hired to work as assistants in the factory.