WEBB, THOMAS

Thomas Webb & Sons was founded in 1837 by Thomas Webb (1804-1869) near Stourbridge, England. The name T. Webb & Co. was adopted in 1842, and later became Thomas Webb & Sons. Webb operated the Platts glasshouse from 1837 to 1856 and then the Dennis glassworks from 1855 to 1990. The company, known originally as the "Crystal King of England," was noted for the high quality of its Cameo glass. Towards the end of the nineteenth century Thomas Webb produced a range of decorative glass such as Burmese, Alexandrite, Cameo and Satin glass.Cameo glass is created by a process of etching and carving through a layer of opaque white glass, leaving a white relief design on a darker colored glass body. Some pieces used two layers of etched glass to create a three-color Cameo glass product. In the 1870s John Northwood produced the first pieces, inspired by the Portland Vase. George Woodall would produce the most distinguished Webb Cameo work towards the end of the 19th century.

In 1889 Thomas Webb & Sons secured an American patent for their process, and in that same year they received a Grand Prix for their exquisite colored glass at the 1889 Paris Exposition.