Bartlett-Collins Company Cheese and Cracker Set

Today’s Museum Monday treasure from the Museum of American Glass in WV is a cheese and cracker set using pieces made by Bartlett-Collins Company in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. The pattern is their Ste. Genevieve line, which they offered as sets in various configurations. However, the wooden legs and the metal Eagle finial do not appear in any of the B-C catalogs, so most likely it was an unknown second-party company who ordered the glass and put together this particular combination, as well as the cake stand in the second photograph. These funky pieces certainly made a nicely colonial statement. Since Ste. Genevieve was made in sunset gold (amber) up until 1975, it is quite possible that these were produced for the 1976 Bicentennial.

Ste. Genevieve was introduced in crystal in 1951. An advertisement in the Crockery and Glass Journal, August 1957 stated: “In the ever-popular traditional early American design, Ste. Genevieve tableware by Bartlett-Collins has the sparkle of cut-glass; crystal clear, or richly edged with glittering 22-Karat gold. The bold tracery gives an elegant grace to this fine, durable Bartlett-Collins glass. This popularly-priced glassware sells well in complete sets, partial sets; makes repeat customers as an open stock item. Tumblers available with clear foot or warmly garnet-tinted foot.”

Collectors of early American pattern glass will recognize the inspiration for Ste. Genevieve as the United States Glass Company’s No. 15078 Manhattan pattern, originally introduced in 1902 and later reissued in the 1940s as Bullseye. Ste. Genevieve continued to be made by Bartlett-Collins in crystal from 1951 to 1976, but it wasn’t until 1966 that color was offered, sunset gold as seen in the accompanying photographs and also avocado green.

The chip and dip set is 10” high and is made up from the 4 ½” No. 9904 nappy and the 8 ½” No. 9908 bowl (seen in the last photograph in crystal). The cake plate is 7 ¼” high and is made up from the 11” No. 9911 dinner plate – with the same No. 9904 nappy seen in the chip and dip set inverted to become the base for the Eagle.

Our collection also has a sherbet in sunset gold.