Pyrex
Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York, manufacturer (1851- present)
Frederick Carder, designer (b. England, 1863-1963)
Pyrex teapot and underplate, ca. 1922
glass, etched
H: 5.5”, underplate L: 7”
The Dinnerware Museum, Museum Purchase, 2013.6
Pyrex® teapots were introduced at the Corning Glassworks in 1922. Corning marketing praised these creations: “It is always possible to see how strong the tea is. It is easy to see how much tea there is and if someone may have a second or third cup. The tea pot can be easily and thoroughly cleaned. The spouts pour freely. The handles remain cold while the body of the pot stays hot. The double rim on the lids prevents their falling off when the tea is poured. There can be no harmful action of the tannin in the tea upon the inside of the tea pot. Boiling water will not crack them.” (excerpted from Expert’s Book on Better Cooking from 1925)
What the Corning advertisements don’t say enough about is the simple beauty of these teapots from the 1920s. The engraved teapots sold for a “somewhat higher price” than the undecorated, which cost $2.75 for a 2-cup squat teapot.