Dorflinger Factory Museum sets special cut glass exhibits, lectures
The Dorflinger Factory Museum on Route 6 in White Mills is offering three special exhibits on fine cut glass this year, as well as its annual lecture series, Director Jim Asselstine announced.
The museum is in the restored 1883 cutting shop and the nearby company office building of the cut glass factory founded by Christian Dorflinger, featuring extensive displays of glassware and information on how the glassware was made.
Identifying Dorflinger glass
The first special exhibit, titled “By the Book: Using Trade Catalogs and Advertisements to Identify Dorflinger Glass,” provides a guide to identifying and authenticating Dorflinger glass.
Unlike some other companies in the industry, the Dorflinger companies never permanently marked their glass. This poses a challenge for researchers and collectors seeking to identify and attribute Dorflinger glass. Fortunately, 15 Dorflinger trade catalogs, a substantial collection of line drawings (a one-dimensional view of the object and pattern), trade cards, and numerous magazine advertisements illustrating Dorflinger glass have been identified.
This exhibit illustrates how this material can be used to identify and authenticate Dorflinger glass. The exhibit pairs a Dorflinger object with an actual catalog page, line drawing, or advertisement showing an object in the same design or pattern, allowing the viewer to compare all elements of the design.
Rich Cut Oil Lamps
The museum’s second special exhibit for 2023 is titled “Reflected Brilliance: Dorflinger’s Rich Cut Oil Lamps.”
Elaborately cut oil, or kerosene, lamps became popular in about 1885 and went out of fashion in about 1905 when electric illumination became widely available. These rich cut oil lamps were among the most complex and expensive wares produced by the American cut glass industry. C. Dorflinger & Sons was the leading producer of both finished lamps and blanks for cut glass lamps sold to other cutting firms.
Asselstine noted that these lamps are relatively rare today. This special exhibit features 13 Dorflinger oil lamps, representing every size and style produced by the company from large Banquet lamps for the dining room to smaller Princess, Globe Princess, and hand lamps.
These first two exhibits will be open until mid-December.
Rembrandt’s Etchings
The Museum’s third 2023 special exhibit is titled "Rembrandt’s Etchings.”
This exhibit features a small and intimate collection of ten etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest etchers of all time. The etchings in this exhibit include examples from the artist’s series on peasants, tramps, and beggars, Old and New Testament themes, portraits, landscapes, and genre themes of everyday life in the Netherlands in the 17th century. The Rembrandt’s Etchings special exhibit will be on view through Sept. 17.
Lecture series
The Museum is again offering its annual lecture series, named in honor of the late Dr. Walter B. Barbe.
"This year’s lecture program includes talks on a variety of interesting topics related to the history of Northeastern Pennsylvania," Asslestine stated. All lectures will be held in the Blue Room of the Dorflinger Cutting Shop. The lectures are on Sundays at 2 p.m. and are open to the public. There is no charge for Museum members; there is a $5 charge for nonmembers, which includes free admission to the museum.
On July 16, Asselstine will present a talk titled "The 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition and the Birth of the American Brilliant Period of Cut Glass." The exhibits by the American glass companies including the Dorflinger Glass Company at the Philadelphia Exhibition led to the most successful period of cut glass making in the country’s history.
On July 30, Sarah Piccini, assistant director of The Lackawanna Historical Society, will present a lecture titled "Local Place Names in Northeastern Pennsylvania." This lecture will explore the names of places in Northeastern Pennsylvania and what they tell us about the history of the region.
On Aug. 6, John Revak, a local historian, will present a talk titled "A Tour of the D&H Gravity from Carbondale to Honesdale in Photographs and Maps." This first lecture in a two-part series will explore the route of the D&H Gravity Railroad from Carbondale to Honesdale.
On Aug. 20, John Revak, will present a second lecture titled "A Tour of the D&H Gravity from Honesdale to Carbondale." This second lecture in the series will cover the return trip, which followed a different route.
Finally on Sept. 17, Mary Ann Moran Savakinus, director of The Lackawanna Historical Society, will present a lecture titled "Eastern European Immigration in Northeastern Pennsylvania." This lecture will explore the history of immigration from Eastern Europe to the region, and its influence on the region’s history and culture.
The Dorflinger Factory Museum has a number of other events and activities planned for the 2023 season, including the Museum’s signature Brilliant Weekend and Glass Dealer Show and Sale from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1. Full details on this and other events can be found on the Museum’s website at dorflingerfactorymuseum.org.
The Dorflinger Factory Museum is open five days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. There is a $5 admission charge for adults over 18 years of age. Children are free. Guided tours of the museum are offered at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day. The museum is located at the corner of Route 6 and Elizabeth Street at the blinking light in White Mills.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Cut glass museum in Poconos schedules lectures, special exhibits
