Cambridge Carnival Glass

By Bernice Thach

The Cambridge Glass Company, once part of the troubled National Glass Company, began rebuilding in 1901 and became one of the largest producers of fine tableware in America.

After making huge quantities of handmade crystal and colored wares through the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s, the business closed and many of its molds were sold to the Imperial Glass Company in 1958.

Cambridge made a small amount of iridized glass, but not as much as that produced by Northwood, Fenton, Imperial, Dugan and Millersburg. Most Cambridge iridized pieces are hard to locate. The marigold Inverted Feather parfait glass and the green cracker jar in that same pattern are most often seen. A cracker jar in purple or marigold would be very rare.

During the Carnival Glass era, the Cambridge trademark was NEARCUT. This trademark appears on a good many of the Carnival Glass pieces.