Imperial Glass

The Imperial Glass Company was founded in 1901 by an ex-riverboat captain and experienced glass maker named Edward Muhleman. The first items made and sold were 5 and 10 cent were glasses, tumblers, dishes and bowls and other tableware items, that were sold to Woolworth's, Kresge's and McCrory's stores. From the early days, Imperial grew and expanded and around 1909 began to manufacture carnival glass, which became popular very quickly.

Because of the stock market crash and depression, Imperial was forced to file bankruptcy in 1929. They secured a contract with the Quaker Oats company to produce glass as a premium to give away with oatmeal. That contract saved Imperial and the pattern was the beginning of the Cape Cod pattern - which was Imperial's best selling pattern and was manufactured by Imperial as long as the company was in operation. Candlewick was introduced in 1936 and has been enormously popular ever since! In addition to Cape Cod and Candlewick, Imperial produced many other popular tableware patterns, including Crocheted Crystal and Laced Edge (sometimes called Katy Blue), as well as glass animals, opalescent glass, milk glass, carnival glass, black glass, slag glass.

As the demand for Elegant Glassware begin to decline in the 1950s, Imperial became one of the top producers of white milk glass, which was very popular at the time. Imperial thrived as other glass companies were going out of business and they acquired several companies, including the Heisey and Cambridge molds. They continued to manufacture many of these companies' most popular patterns.

Lenox acquired Imperial in 1972 through a stock exchange. In 1982 Arthur Lorch purchased Imperial from Lenox, Lenox foreclosed on Imperial and Mr. Lorch sold the company again. Only a few pieces were made from 1982 to 1984, when Imperial was closed down forever.

Imperial patterns include:
Beaded Block
Candlewick
Cape Cod
Crocheted Crystal
Diamond Quilted
Laced Edge (Katy Blue) Old Williamsburg
Twisted Optic

Imperial also manufactured the popular and long lasting Moon and Stars pattern for the LE Smith Company in the 1960s . Here are the current listings on eBay;


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