Right after we wrote about Pyrex’ 100th anniversary, we heard from the quick-on-their-feet PR team at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. They wanted us to know about their newest exhibit, “America’s Favorite Dish: Celebrating a Century of Pyrex,” which opens tomorrow June 6, and runs through March 17, 2016. This is the first exhibition devoted to the iconic cookware. And all the better, the Museum had some 60 historical photos of Pyrex — organized by decade over the past century — all queued up to promote the exhibit. Lots of pretty pretty Pyrex here — let’s take a look at how this brand evolved — so that we can prepare for our visit!
Chronicling the history of Pyrex:
Pyrex in 1915:
Here’s the news release on the exhibit — we’ve woven the photos into the text:
THE CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS PRESENTS EXHIBITION ON TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF PYREX ON AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS
Exhibition organized in celebration of 100th anniversary of Pyrex will feature rare pieces and patterns, historic advertisements, cookbooks, and other Pyrex ephemera
Corning, NY—In June 2015, The Corning Museum of Glass will present America’s Favorite Dish: Celebrating a Century of Pyrex, the first exhibition devoted to the iconic cookware. Organized in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1915 invention of Pyrex, the exhibition will feature a wide range of objects and materials—from the first pie dish to the famed stackable measuring cup redesigned in 1983, as well as advertisements and ephemera, like product cookbooks and catalogs. The exhibition shows how this common household product, born out of scientific discoveries in glass, was shaped not only by designers and engineers but also by women consumers around the country.
Pyrex in the 1920s
The news release continues:
“The history of Pyrex reflects the history of the United States in the 20th century,” said Kelley Elliott, co-curator of the exhibition and assistant curator of modern and contemporary glass at The Corning Museum of Glass. “As the country changed, so did Pyrex. New glass formulas were developed for evolving home technologies, marketing and sales strategies adapted to women’s changing roles in the home and workplace, and Pyrex patterns and advertisements changed to reflect fashions, décor, and world events from the past century.”
Pyrex in the 1930s
The news release continues:
The origins of Pyrex can be traced to the production of temperature-resistant borosilicate glass for railroad lantern globes by Corning Glass Works (now Corning Incorporated). This new glass was used for several products that required temperature-resistant glass. Only a few years later, Corning began to explore using this glass for housewares, marketing their new brand of glass housewares as Pyrex.
Pyrex in the 1940s
The news release continues:
At the same time Corning introduced Pyrex, home economics was emerging as a profession. From its introduction, Corning Glass Works embraced the idea of using these new domestic professionals to test and promote Pyrex. The company hired Sarah Tyson Rorer, an editor at Ladies’ Home Journal, and Mildred Maddocks of the Good Housekeeping Institute, to promote the brand through cooking demonstrations at department stores around the country. In 1929, Corning hired full-time home economist and scientist, Lucy Maltby, to manage the company’s new consumer services office. By 1931, Maltby had established a Test Kitchen at Corning Glass Works, designed to evaluate new products before they were put on the market.
Pyrex in the 1950s
The news release continues:
Representative objects and advertisements from each decade will be on view to trace the evolution of the Pyrex brand. Particular highlights include:
— The first 12 Pyrex products introduced to the consumer market in 1915, including: covered casserole dishes, pie plates, shirred egg dishes, custard cups, loaf pans, au gratin dishes, and oval baking dishes.
— Durable military mess ware developed by Corning Glass Works in 1940s, which evolved into Pyrex opalware after World War II.
— Representative pieces of nearly 150 Pyrex opalware patterns including the Terra and Verde patterns from the 1960s.
— Pyrex measuring cups, including the 1980s redesign which introduced a new handle that allowed measuring cups of various sizes to be stacked inside one another.
— A large archive of Pyrex advertisements, from its origins through the 1980s, incorporating themes such as weddings, wartime (specifically WWII), Christmas, intergenerational, and historical events. One ad depicts how the moon landing inspired the Horizon Blue pattern.
— Original design drawings, correspondence, and other ephemera related to Pyrex design and marketing.
Pyrex in the 1960s
The news release continues:
“Because our comprehensive collection of glass tells the story of the development of this material from ancient to contemporary times, the Museum is uniquely qualified to tell and contextualize the story of Pyrex and its origins in Corning,” said Karol Wight, executive director of The Corning Museum of Glass. “Like many of the objects in our collection, Pyrex was made using the experimental and cutting-edge technology of its era. It also reflected the decorative taste of its time. We look forward to exploring the dual impact of Pyrex products as both revolutionary home tools and as today’s objects of nostalgia.”
Pyrex in the 1970s
Pyrex in the 1980s
The news release continues:
The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive, dedicated website, which will feature the Museum’s Pyrex holdings of more than 2,000 objects, sortable by pattern and/or date. The website will host a database for Pyrex research and provide a place for enthusiasts to share their own stories, images, and recipes with others. Features will include digitized advertisements, articles and clips of oral histories conducted by the staff of the Museum’s Rakow Research Library, who have gathered personal perspectives from designers, engineers, and marketing staff who worked with Pyrex products.
Pyrex in the 1990s
Pyrex in the 2000s
The news release continues:
The website is sponsored by leading global housewares manufacturer, World Kitchen, which has been a proud steward of the Pyrex® brand for 16 years. For more information, visit www.worldkitchen.com.
The exhibition will be on view in the Museum’s Rakow Library from June 6, 2015 – March 17, 2016. It is co-curated by Kelley Elliott, assistant curator of modern and contemporary glass; Aprille Nace, associate librarian for public services; Regan Brumagen, public services librarian; and Emily Davis, Collections Management Assistant.
ABOUT THE CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS
The Corning Museum of Glass is home to the world’s most important collection of glass, including the finest examples of glassmaking spanning 3,500 years. Live glassblowing demonstrations (offered at the Museum, on the road, and at sea on Celebrity Cruises) bring the material to life. Daily Make Your Own Glass experiences at the Museum enable visitors to create work in a state-of-the-art glassmaking studio. The campus in Corning includes a year-round glassmaking school, The Studio, and the Rakow Research Library, the world’s preeminent collection of materials on the art and history of glass. Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State, the Museum is open daily, year-round. Kids and teens, 17 and under, receive free admission. www.cmog.org.
The Museum recently opened a 100,000-square-foot Contemporary Art + Design Wing, designed by Thomas Phifer. The new wing includes a new 26,000-square-foot contemporary art gallery building, as well as one of the world’s largest facilities for glassblowing demonstrations and live glass design sessions.
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Thank you, PR wizards at the Corning Museum of Glass, for the story and for the exhibit! All those photos of colorful, historic Pyrex make us very happy. Alas, we want them all!
Link love:
- Thank you, Corning Museum of Glass for the awesome exhibit, and for providing all these photos chroncling the history of Pyrex!
Betty Hilton says
I have a light yellow measuring cup from 1926 but I have no idea how much it is worth ! I really love it Hope to hear from you soon ?
Pam Kueber says
Hi Betty, I am not an expert on this subject, and also do not do valuations on products. Not sure where to point you.
Wendy Kimble says
I have a 15 Piece Corning Glass Works gold trimmed opalescent cake plate set. In original shipping box. I can’t find any information on it anywhere. Do you know where I can look this up?
Pam Kueber says
Hi Wendy, I don’t know the answer to this. You could contact the Corning Museum of Glass to find out if they have any info. Good luck!
mary says
Do they still make the older designs? How do you tell fake from real?
Pat says
I saw the Pyrex Anniversary measuring cup in the store. It was terrible, it was modern styling, what’s up with that!
Mary Elizabeth says
I agree! I would have preferred to see the original design for an anniversary edition. However, (1) the new handle design helps the different sizes take up less room for stacking, and (2) my DH came home from the warehouse store (Costco) with a box of the whole set in red, white, and blue. He was so proud to find a gift he thought I’d really like. So now the new design has new memories and new sentimental value to me, just as the old design held memories of my mother cooking (or, to tell the truth, attempting to cook*) and my sister and I learning to cook at a very young age (*see asterisk above for the reason). 🙂
Mike says
Wow, would I like a set of those Refrigerator Dishes, just like my grandmother had!
eric says
Pam, thank you for this article. Now I know I have the “Mod Kitchen” casserole dish. Never knew what it was, as picked up cheap at an estate sale. I will now be on the lookout for some of the earlier 20’s pieces now that I know what to look for.