Glidden Pottery: Alfred Mid-Century Highstyle

GLIDDEN POTTERY
ALFRED MID-CENTURY HIGHSTYLE STONEWARE
Ronald J. Kransler
Universal-Publishers
Boca Raton
Glidden Pottery: Alfred Mid-Century Highstyle Stoneware
Copyright © 1985-2011 Ronald J. Kransler
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher
Universal-Publishers
Boca Raton, Florida
USA • 2011
ISBN-10: 1-61233-016-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-61233-016-7
www.universal-publishers.com
Front and rear cover subjects from the collection of the author.
Cover photographs provided courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.
Dedication
Karl Taylor, David Ammering, Ellen Meek Meldrum
It would have been impossible to write this book without the help of
many people. I dedicate this book to everyone who helped me produce it, with special dedications as follows:
 Ellen Meek Meldrum— My (and my mother’s) high school English
teacher, advisor and friend during my formative years. This woman
helped cement the love of publication onto my soul. When working
with her on school publications, she gave me the confidence needed
to get the job done; her lessons and demands for quality remain
with me today.
 David Ammering— It was David that got me ‘hooked’ on Glidden in the first place, and our desire for information led to the development of this book. There is heartfelt regret that he is not alive
to see its long-awaited conclusion.
 Karl W. Taylor— I’ve never had a friend who has meant more to
me. During our seventeen and a half years together, Karl pushed me
along with this project. Despite a long-term illness, he never gave up
in the constant quest for Glidden and the goal of finishing this
“Glidden book.” He left us in 1997 and I will never stop missing him.
Special thanks and a dedication to my parents,
John and Marilynn Kransler
Throughout my good times and my worst, they always stood behind
me and believed in my ability. Sadly, my mom and dad never will
get to see this book or dedication.
Editor's Note: Mr. Kransler passed away in the fall of 2010. One of
his greatest desires was to widely share his knowledge of Glidden
Pottery. In loving memory of Ron, this book has been seen to completion by his dear friends and family.
Foreword
From my first purchase of Glidden, a gift for a dear friend, to my
second – intended for the same purpose, but mysteriously replaced
at the last moment by another present, I have been obsessed with
the collection of this mid-century highstyle stoneware that was produced in Alfred, New York.
From day one, I have been amazed by the lack of substantial information available on the subject and finally decided to remedy
this by producing a book about Glidden.
My quest for information began by placing small ads in the Alfred Sun seeking information and pieces of pottery for sale. The
ads provided me with some basic information, a list of some of the
principals involved plus many interesting pieces of Glidden for my
collection. From there, I sent letters and questionnaires to designers
and former workers. I had one-on-one conversations with former
designers, dealers and employees. I used the libraries in Alfred, investigated the “Glidden archives,” contacted museums, most
notably the Everson in Syracuse, NY, and publications like the Santa
Fean which published the last Parker interview one month after his
death. In addition to my own collection of over 2,900 pieces, I have
been fortunate to have been provided access to photograph many
wonderful private collections including those of Charles Rand
Penney, Vincent vanZwanenberg, Terry Scanlan and Tom Moogan
who did not live to see this book become a reality – I miss him a
great deal. This information process has allowed me to meet many
people who have become some of my better friends.
The publication has had false starts, setbacks and problems on
many levels, and as information changed, extensive reworks that
have made it a very difficult, stressful, part-time job.
Throughout the process, my driving goal has been to produce an accurate, detailed record of the company and the people
who produced Glidden pottery; a book that provides the reader or
collector with information.
Will the information process ever be complete? No, but I hope
you appreciate this book as it has developed.
Ron Kransler
Table of Contents
Glidden Pottery, Inc.............................................................................. 7
Glidden Parker .................................................................................... 21
Fong Chow ........................................................................................... 39
Sergio Dello Strologo .......................................................................... 47
Nelson, Fosdick, Secrest, & Robinson .............................................. 53
Markings on Glidden ......................................................................... 61
Decoration & Patterns ........................................................................ 69
Catalog Section
1-99 .............................................................................................. 99
100 range .................................................................................... 116
200 range .................................................................................... 128
300 range .................................................................................... 134
400 range (Sculptured Oval) ................................................... 136
500 range .................................................................................... 142
600 range .................................................................................... 143
700 range (New Equations) ..................................................... 147
800 range (Casual “Saffron” Buffetware) .............................. 151
900 range .................................................................................... 158
1000 range .................................................................................. 164
4000 range (Designer Line) ..................................................... 166
Unique Numbers ...................................................................... 178
Unmarked ................................................................................. 179
Glidden/SAFEX ...................................................................... 192
Stonecraft of Alfred........................................................................... 193
Studio Pieces Produced at Glidden ................................................ 194
Glidden Exhibition 2001................................................................... 195
St. Pat’s ............................................................................................... 196
Looks Like Glidden, But is Not ...................................................... 197
Stoneware by Glidden of Alfred Catalog (8 pages) ..................... 201
Color Product Line Cards ................................................................ 209
Ads, flyers ......................................................................................... 211
Index ................................................................................................... 215
Afterword........................................................................................... 223
Thank You & Author Profile ........................................................... 224
Glidden Pottery, Inc.
G
lidden Parker’s association with the small, university town of
Alfred, New York, had a profound impact that will more than
likely never be duplicated. Parker’s Glidden Pottery, Inc. provided a livelihood for many and gave the community something that they could point to with pride and say “This is Glidden Pottery... it’s made in Alfred.”
In 1939, after completing his courses at Alfred and while teaching at
the university, Glidden Parker began work on the first designs, then refinement and the molds for a line of pottery that would be faithful to
hand-crafted despite being mass produced. In July of 1940, he officially
formed Glidden with the help and assistance of his good friend, internationally known ceramist, first dean of the College, Marion Fosdick. Ms.
Fosdick let Parker use her studio for creating and firing the first pieces of
Glidden before moving to small facilities at 100 Main Street.
Glidden Pottery was designed and created on a wheel or hand
formed, then molds were made to allow for mass production of the
pieces. Slip, clay that is thinned to a consistency to pea soup, was then
poured into these molds, with hollow items it was left set for (approximately) twenty minutes, the remaining liquid was then poured out to
allow for partial drying before removal from the mold.
After being released from the mold, the mold marks were removed
by hand, rough edges smoothed and the name ‘Glidden’ and a number
was added by hand into the bottom of the still slightly damp greenware
(unfired pottery). It is quite safe to assume that most early pieces of
Glidden were signed by Parker or his
wife, Pat (Harriet Hamill) because until
September of 1940 when they hired
their first employee, Ms. Jane Walkley,
they worked alone.
Walkley, another Alfred graduate,
was put in charge of molding the pottery. Output at the time was between
200 and 300 pieces a week; with steady
orders coming in the three people were
kept quite busy. Glidden Parker was
responsible for all design work, much
of the hand decoration, the bookkeeping and sales.
Illustrated is a piece of
Glidden pottery presented by
Ms. Walkley as a wedding gift
shortly after her employment
at Glidden. Glidden Parker
personally did the bold
Sgraffito on this piece for her.
Despite doing production work, commercial glazes were
never used at Glidden; Pat Parker created the first glazes, textural
treatment and some of the hand decoration. Mrs. Parker developed the most often found and most popular Glidden Glaze, Matrix (a blue-green turquoise), that was used throughout the entire history of Glidden. The Parkers worked together refining Glidden’s
clay and glaze formulas to necessitate just one firing. This innovation saved time and gas.
Thelma Burdick and Vesta
Palmer sign freshly molded
Glidden Pieces while Bill
Palmer unmolds others. This
photo was taken prior to the
enlargement of the business
in the summer of 1944. This
photo was provided by Mrs.
Lyle (Thelma Burdick)
Palmiter.
Glidden was made from a (still) secret combination of Kentucky,
Ohio and New York clays that were fired at cone 6 to become a durable, ovenproof stoneware. It is said by many in Alfred, that students
at the university used to try and duplicate both the Glidden clay formula and the glazes, but for the
most part were unsuccessful.
One of the countless special
order designs produced at
Glidden. Believed to have
been done by Parker himself,
this Pennsylvania Dutch
design plate was a limited
production pattern and very
difficult to locate today. The
glazes themselves appear to
have been developed by
Walter Robinson. From the
collection of Vincent
vanZwanenberg.
Parker insisted from the beginning that his pottery, targeted
to be sold in high-class shops and
stores, would be hand-decorated.
In an interview given to Frank
Bredell on the tenth anniversary
of Glidden Pottery, Parker told
him that there was no point in
simulating hand decorating with
a machine. Parker said “We try to combine handwork with technical developments without destroying the intimate quality.”
In the interview with Marian Love in the Santa Fean, Parker recalled that “Handcraft couldn’t support us totally, so during Easter
vacation, I walked up and down Madison Avenue (New York City)
with pots under my arms.” He told Ms. Love that he was “willing to
do special shapes, colors and glazes with special designs done by
hand if desired.”
Parker’s sales trip to New York City was a tremendous success.
He was able to secure Rubel & Fenton, Inc. as a national distributor.
Soon orders from all over the country came flooding into the small
shop in Alfred. More employees were hired to take care of production and shipping. Parker said to Marian Love, the demand for the
informal dinnerware and basic casual pieces was “Terrifying....” He
went on to tell her that “When our son, Christopher, was born in July,
1942, our wholesale orders were remarkable.”
In addition to being sold in the better shops around the
country, Glidden was available in Alfred, at Erma Huitt’s Terra
Cotta Shop. Many of the pieces available in Alfred were test
pieces and ‘seconds’ which is undoubtedly why there are so
A group of Glidden workers in
a circa 1940s photo provided
by Mrs. Lyle Palmiter. Employees
that could be identified are Gif
Cook, Fern Carnes, Josie Cook,
Enid Wilcox, June Chisholm, and
Wanda Horton. Others could
not be identified.
many of these interesting forms of Glidden available in upstate New
York.
In 1944, Parker bought land from Ruben Armstrong on North
Main Street and had a cement block building constructed on the
site. The building was twelve feet high, 47 feet wide and 105 feet
long, the shipping dock was in the rear. Built into an embankment
behind the building were the clay bins – making the overall length
of the manufacturing facility 125 feet long. It is interesting to note
that the demand for Glidden was so large that by the time the facility opened in 1945, the clay that filled the bins was being shipped to
Alfred in carload lots.
With the new structure came an increased need for employees.
Orders taken in 1944 for delivery in 1945 topped 100,000 pieces! To
keep up with the demand, the new facility incorporated a 50 foot
tunnel kiln of the sliding plate type. Unlike the periodic kiln used in
the original facility, the
new kiln ran continuously and required attention at all times. The
new kiln required Glidden Pottery to run continuously 355 day a year,
using a 10 day ‘shut
down’ for repair, vacations and maintenance.
This advertisement featuring
dinnerware in Glidden’s
Running W pattern available at
upscale Washington, DC
department store: The Hecht
Company, appeared in
Good Housekeeping
magazine in 1945.
In 1945 when Glidden Pottery incorporated
and Parker became president in addition to being
chief designer, there
were over 200 different
shapes in production, a
great jump from the 37
that Glidden Pottery
started business with.
Glidden Pottery was
Illustrated are two advertisements that featured food
using Glidden Pottery. The
first is a 1952 Hunt’s Tomato
Catsup that appeared in Good
Housekeeping magazine; the
second is a 1951 Simtex ad
featuring Glidden Chi-Chi dinnerware.
beginning to show up in national magazines in advertisements for fancy shops, write-ups about gift items, and many times in food company
advertisements. Much of this exposure was undoubtedly stimulated by
Glidden’s inclusion in ceramic shows, design shows and trade shows.
Art directors for the advertising agencies were obviously impressed
with the innovative original designs and used Glidden pottery frequently. The Hecht Company featured Glidden in a Good Housekeeping ad in 1945, and by the time that Glidden had incorporated the designs of a second and principal designer and contracted third principal
designer, Glidden had appeared in advertisements for Ivory Snow
(Women’s Home Companion – 1947); House Beautiful featured Glidden Parker’s prize winning covered casserole (163) in an article “Museum Pieces Belong at Home”; Better Homes and Gardens featured Glidden in an article dealing with round and square tableware in 1947; in
1948, Life magazine featured Glidden pottery in a full-color Hunts Tomato Sauce advertisement. This continued exposure was an indication
of how popular and successful that Glidden Pottery had become.
Glidden Parker was constantly looking for new ways of improving his product. New ceramic designs were constantly added to the
Glidden line, as well as new surface treatments. In 1948, Glidden’s
newest pattern design, Will O’ the Wisp, was featured in Successful
Farming magazine in an article that also featured Stangl, Lunt and
other fine-crafted china and pottery. Fine stores such as Bergdorf
Goodman were handling Glidden, the demand for the product increased. To keep up with this ever increasing demand, Parker investigated using the recently developed Ram Process for the production of his pottery.
Illustrated is a copy of an
advertisement sheet that
RAM process used to
promote themselves.
This piece features Glidden
pottery pieces decorated in
Counterpane and a
statement by owner/designer,
Glidden Parker.
In 1949 Glidden Pottery,
Inc. became the second pottery
manufacturer in the country to
use the innovative Ram process
to mold ceramics. The Ram process developed at Ohio State,
pressure injected the clay into
molds made of gypsum cement.
The molded objects were then
released through fluid pressure
forced through the permeable
dies. For oversized pieces, that
were made more possible
through this process, metal dies
were created with the assistance
of Wallace C. Higgins and were
cast in nearby Friendship, New
York. In addition to being fast,
efficient, and semiautomatic, the
Ram Process changed many things at Glidden. The large inventory
of molds requiring slip were no longer needed, more floor space
became available, production increased to a thousand pieces a day
and the process allowed for far more creative expression of physical design.
Many of the original numbers of Glidden were taken out of
production with the initial change over to the Ram process. Slip
was no longer used, therefore molds were designed that allowed
for the thickness to be consistent. Only 87 designs were initially incorporated for the ram process, a drastic drop from the 200-plus
designs that were in process previous to this. Parker did redesign
some of the more popular items such as the flat planter dishes in
the 100 range, giving the redesigned pieces corresponding numbers in the 1000 range. For example, 107 became 1007, etc.
A late 1940s photo of Glidden
workers Veva McHenry and
Ralph Colegrove at work in the
enlarged Glidden Pottery facility.
Many familiar pieces can be
recognized in this photo that has
been provided through the
courtesy of Mrs. Lyle Palmiter.
Because of logistics of the Ram Process, the edges no longer
curved over– they were flared out instead. Many new designs were
added to Glidden, most notable being the entire range of ‘sculpturedoval’ dinnerware (400 range). It should be noted that at least part of
this range was designed by Philip Secrest, another Alfred ceramic
graduate and prize winner at the National Ceramics Exhibitions in Syracuse.
Rubel and Fenton also began having Glidden pieces made to their
specifications. The ‘Laizy-Daizy’ serving unit, the Ferris Wheel serving
unit that incorporated a redesigned 1005 (1005FF) and other
pieces were done for Rubel. In
conjunction with Rubel and
Fenton, Fred Press, a designer
of many of the very popular
blackamore statues (lamp bases,
etc.), created a series of designs
that look very much like decals,
Fred Press’ fish and leaf designs
could be found on numerous
items in the fifties. Illustrated
here is a tray, a rocks glass and
a divided glass serving dish
with gold leaf fish designs on
it.
The invitation card from
Museum of Modern Art “Good
Design” show. Reproduced
from Glidden Parker’s copy
that bears Edgar Kaufman’s
autograph.
One of at least three versions
of the Raymor label that may
be found on pieces of Glidden.
According to Strologo, he
created a series of herbal
drawings with an India ink
syringe while waiting for a train
back to New York City. Fong
Chow then refined the
drawings for use on the
Casual Buffetware line that
Sergio had designed.
but were, in reality, designs of glaze that were manually applied to the
ceramic piece using an innovative hand-held screen process. (Fred Press
designs were also used on many products distributed by Raymor.)
Glidden Pottery was
included in the Good Design Shows at the Museum of Modern Art
(N.Y.C.) and the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.
The show, juried by Edgar
Kaufman, Jr. of MOMA
and Alexander Girard, director of the Detroit Institute of Art, featured Glidden’s recently created
sculptured
oval
dinnerware in the Bluestone pattern. The show, held in Chicago and at
MOMA in New York City featured high quality design items for under
$100 that were available for sale in this country. The show was designed
by Meis van der Rhoe internationally renown architect and designer.
Through Glidden Parker’s urging, Fong Chow, well respected
painter and ceramist, came to Alfred to earn his graduate degrees
and to work for Glidden. Chow’s designs were very successful, also
winning awards at MOMA. Fong Chow was responsible for many of
the new glaze patterns and physical designs for the pottery itself.
Boston Spice, High Tide, Roman Lines, Gulfstream Blue, and the
award winning Charcoal and Rice, are among the most popular
Glidden patterns created by Chow. Fong Chow also worked to produce, in glazes, the herbal designs created by freelance designer, Sergio Dello Strologo. The patterns were
created by Strologo with a syringe to
grace a line of pottery that he was
commissioned to design for Glidden.
By the time that Strologo came to
Glidden it was being handled nationally by Raymor, the partnership
with Russel Wright and Richards
Morganthau. Strologo had worked for Wright redesigning pieces of the
Iroquois line of casual dinnerware, and was referred to Glidden by
Wright personally.
Dello Strologo, Italian-born designer was the last (named) principal
designer’s work to be added to the production line of Glidden. He too,
was an Alfred graduate and made an indelible mark on the designs
produced at Glidden. Strologo’s designs (800 range – Coffee Stand
with Warmer, Carving Platter, Sugar and Creamer, Covered Casserole)
won recognition in the National Ceramic Exhibitions in Syracuse. He
will be best remembered for his innovative use of wood to complement the ceramics. Many pieces by Strologo have wooden (oak) covers, handles or carving boards. They are usually decorated in Saffron,
Parsley, or Cayenne, and incorporate herbal designs by Strologo that
were refined for glazing by Fong Chow.
The wooden pieces for Glidden were created by local craftsperson,
Bill Palmer. The wrought iron and wire work that was used throughout
the 1950s was created by another local craftsperson, Frank Plummer.
The designers at Glidden or distributors like Rubel and Fenton would
design the piece and these men would fabricate them for Glidden. Most
notable among the wire creations were the ‘Fin and Wire’ racks used to
hold bowls, casseroles and planters; the covered fish casserole (designed by Philip Secrest 1952) with Fong Chow’s Charcoal and Rice
glaze included a fin and wire rack– it was in one of the “Good Design”
shows. The sugar and
creamer that Strologo
won his awards in the
National Ceramic Show
in Syracuse, included an
oak cover for the sugar
bowl. The carving platter
in the same show included an oak cutting
board created by Palmer.
Glidden
Pottery
remained in the visual
forefront,
continually
being used in ads by others and in ads for Glidden itself. Vogue
Philip Secrest designed the
Glidden classic “(handsome)
Fish Casserole dish illustrated
here in Fong Chow’s award
winning Charcoal and Rice,
sitting on one of Chow’s
“Fin and Wire” stands.
magazine had ads featuring Glidden Pottery, and ads appearing for
the better shops featured Glidden using the ‘Good Design’ logo to
promote it. Part of this continued interest came as a result of Glidden Parker being granted a patent on his trigger-handled cup and
the subsequent inclusion of the cup into the permanent collection of
the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
In 1954, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez bought service for 48 of
Glidden to use in their new home in California. The story was carried
in most papers as ‘filler copy,’ but did help make Glidden more familiar to the fans of this very famous couple. The fact that Lucille Ball
was from Bemus Point, New York, near Jamestown could have
helped with the decision for the purchase. Alfred is in the same general area of the state.
Glidden Galleries in Alfred, NY.
Photo from Hinkle Library’s
Western New York Historical
Collection.
In 1955, Glidden Parker opened
the Glidden Galleries in Alfred, New
York. The object besides sale of Glidden was to bring in
shows of paintings,
glassware and fine
crafts. The building
was known to Alfred residents as the
“Woolworth Building” named after the two sisters who had owned
it for a substantial period of time. Originally known as Sadler
house, located opposite of the Alfred Mutual Savings and Loan Association, the landmark building was over a hundred years old.
The renovation of the building took about two months. The
downstairs became gallery space with the upstairs being made into an
apartment. The concept of the gallery, in addition to being a display
place for Glidden Pottery and a clearing house for discontinued pieces,
patterns and seconds, was to provide gallery space for other artists and
crafts persons to exhibit their work. One of the most prestigious shows
(August 1956) featured the new prototypes of Fong Chow’s designs for
Glidden and the photographic work of the legendary Ansel Adams.
A second, but fairly shortlived, Glidden Galleries was also
opened near Geneseo, New York.
It was located where the Water
Wheel Antiques stood for many
years. This could account for the
heavy deposits of Glidden that are
in the Livingston and Monroe
County area. Many very exotic ‘seconds’ and experimental pieces
continue to delight and amaze
Glidden collectors.
The #35 plate illustrated here
is typical of the great finds that
were available at Glidden Galleries. This plate which has an
experimental design of very
limited production also has a
glaze formula incised on the
back.
In the late 1950s a large percentage of American ceramic and glass
companies, including Glidden, were hurt severely when import pottery
from Italy and Japan began to flood the U.S. market. Because this almost
destroyed the demand for American produced ware, Glidden Pottery
underwent reorganization. Heretofore closed, the company went public
to raise capital in order to try and keep pace with the volume of orders
and to market the product better.
Glidden was still enjoying critical success, having been chosen for
use in the newly opened Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New
York City, and having been selected by the Raymond Loewy Corporation
for display in the building they planned and designed for the International Trade Fair in Damascus, Syria.
Glidden Galleries Showroom
with an exhibit of Fong Chow
Designed pottery in Charcoal
and Rice. Photo by John Wood
is provided courtesy of Fong
Chow.
At the time of reorganization, there were thirty people employed at Glidden. The staff size would increase to between forty and
fifty. Glidden Parker was re-elected president; William Harrison, vice
president; Margaret Metzger, secretary; Harry F. Joyce, treasurer;
Andrews Hritz, assistant secretary and assistant treasurer. The company engaged John D. Dickson of Wellsville for legal counsel and appointed Glidden Parker, William Harrison, Robert Campbell, Margaret Metzger and Harry F. Joyce directors.
Part of the expansion involved an additional kiln and enlargement of the general facility. New products were planned including
those made of a white semi-vitreous clay (4000 range) and new distributors, Richards Morgenthau and Haberge, Inc. both located in
New York City on Fifth Avenue. The new designs and patterns
seemed to be targeted to accessorize the “Danish-Modern” look that
was sweeping the nation at the time. Boat dishes, weed pots, wall
planters and other more exotic pieces became the most predominant
pieces produced at Glidden. The older patterns were produced less
and less with Gulfstream Blue, Sandstone, Green Mesa, and other
patterns more consistent with home decoration being produced in
larger quantities.
Designer- line pieces such as
the #4023 “Mask” wallpocket
in Sandstone were the
primary concentration near
the end of Glidden Pottery’s
production.
It is unfortunate, but this reorganization could not overshadow the economic slump, non-aggressive sales representatives, lack of working capital and consumer trends of purchasing
cheaper imports instead of the more expensive American goods.
Glidden Pottery
produced its last
pieces in December
1957 and filed for
bankruptcy in February1958. Glidden’s
closing left many Alfred area residents
without jobs and it
was quite an emotional loss to all
those who worked
so hard to produce this outstanding example of American art pottery.
Former board member, Margaret Metzger said that when she assisted in
the bankruptcy that it was like “burying an old friend.”
Glidden Parker kept Glidden Galleries in Alfred, as an outlet for
the inventory left when Glidden Pottery, Inc. closed, but it too eventually closed because Parker found it to be difficult to live in Arizona and
run a gallery in New York State. Fong Chow left Alfred and took a curatorial position (Far East Art) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York City; some workers took jobs with Bennington Pottery, but
for the most part, the general workers remained in Alfred or the immediate area.
The importance of Glidden and its lasting impact was, perhaps,
best expressed by Fong Chow, now living in New York City. In his
responses for this publication he indicated “It is impossible to look
at many of the designs we take for granted today, like the Corningware casseroles, without thinking of the designs created at Glidden.”
“A most attractive stoneware,
in shapes that are, for the most part,
simple, agreeable and highly useful,
has been created by Glidden Parker of
Alfred New York. This pottery, which is
ovenproof, is distinguished by a mat
surface, soft color combinations, and, in
general, well-thought-out forms that one
won’t see duplicated in other wares.”
THE NEW YORKER September 1949
Blue on Blue
Glidden Parker
Glidden Parker working on a
stained-glass cartoon while at
Glass Art Studios.
G
lidden McLelland Parker, Jr. began life in the rugged state of
Maine on July 26, 1913, in the small community of Phillips.
His parents, Glidden McLelland Parker and Avilla May Hersey
Parker, were both from families that had arrived in Massachusetts in
the 1630s, over a century before the American Revolution.
Little could be found about Glidden’s childhood except that he attended a one-room country school where four grades were taught in
the same room. In the last interview and resultant article about Parker
in 1980 by Marian F. Love in The Santa Fean, he indicated that he had
been in love with his teacher and used to stay after school excessively
to color maps and make holiday decorations but did not really have
any interest, at that time, in art.
According to Love, Parker’s interest in art and art forms happened when his grandfather took him to visit the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial. There, he along with the rest of the nation, was impressed
with the Art Deco displays made of plaster and lath that were created
for the occasion. He indicated that he spent nights dreaming of the
waterfalls, gardens, fountains and paths; creating entire environments
in his mind... he decided to become an architect or an archaeologist
that digs up and reconstructs the ruins of ancient cities.
Glidden in his twenties
standing next to a tree.
Photograph provided for
this publication by his
granddaughter,
Katherine Parker.
At thirteen, Glidden’s parents enrolled him in the Hebron Academy, a private boys’ school, which he hated. His mother, sympathetic to
his plight, transferred him to
the public high school in
Lewiston, Maine, where she
lived. He loved school there
and became very interested
in writing. Each week, he
wrote another part of a mystery serial for the school
newspaper. He wrote poetry, tried other forms of writing and became fiercely interested in films. He is quoted as saying that he went to
the movies “...five, six, or
seven times a week... three
times on Saturdays.” He was
also interested in theatre and
made an attempt to see every touring company that
came to the area. After highschool, he spent the summer
taking an English Literature
Glidden photographed while
drawing probably while
studying with C. Katherine
Nelson in Alfred.
Photograph was provided
for this publication by
Katherine Parker.
summer taking an English Literature course at Bates College in Lewiston before entering college there in the fall.
Glidden Parker, June 1965.
Art created in PhotoshopTM
from Xerographic copy of
vintage printed article.
Parker’s next four years were
spent at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. The college had a
very liberal background and had
a record, that it maintains to this
day, for providing equality of education despite race, economic
background or sex. At Bates,
Glidden was fortunate to have an
excellent English department,
which stimulated his desire to
want a career in writing. Parker
began writing short stories, poetry and books many of which appeared in local and national college publications. In 1935 Glidden
Parker received his B.A. in Literature from Bates College.
With graduation behind him, Parker and a friend, Gray Adams,
left for a summer in Europe. This vacation was actually a rest for both
of them before continuing their educations in Europe. Parker recalled
to Marian Love that “We had very little money but we managed to
keep going by staying in youth hostels.” In the same interview he
went on to explain that once that they had explored Paris, visited the
museums, a train trip was taken to Belfort where they bought bicycles
to continue their trip. Continuing his recollections of those days to
Love, Parker indicated that “We had to push them up the mountains
in the Black Forest for three days, but on the fourth day we just coasted down at 40 or 50 miles an hour.” The two ended up in Mannheim
and then spent their remaining time together cycling through Bavaria.
They then separated, Gray went to Berlin and Glidden Parker went to
Vienna, Austria to attend the University of Vienna.
Parker took advantage of every facet of European life and the
abundance of cultural events there, recalling that he stood through 35
operas for a shilling a performance and even stood through the tiring
length of Parsifal. By his own admission, he was not a proficient
linguist, but did learn to speak and read German, and matriculated at the University.
Parker indicated
to Marian Love that
the degree he was
awarded was the
equivalent of a doctorate and therefore
was allowed to study
what he wanted to. In
his Glidden Pottery
years when he wrote
a small autobiography for the Syracuse Museum of Fine
Arts, he indicated
that his field of study
had been Comparative Literature. To
Love, he said that
during the year of
1935-36, “I studied
Philosophy, the History of Film, the Origins of Speech and a Survey of
German Literature where there were 1200 of us in the class.” He also
indicated that he started to write a novel at that time. Parker actually
studied a lot more in Vienna than he indicated to Ms. Love; German
Language, Parallel Developments of Novel, Moorish Influences on
Romanesque Architecture, Evolution of Gothic in Germany and
France, The Baroque of Bavaria and Austria, History Painting, and an
exhaustive study of museum collections in Edinburgh, London, Paris,
Berlin, Dresden Budapest and Vienna.
Upon his return to the United States, he stayed with an aunt in
Buckfield, Maine to work on a novel that was never published. It was
a trip to Alfred with his relatives, the Halls, that changed his entire life
and made Glidden Pottery possible.
Parker’s painting instructor and dear friend, Katherine Nelson recalled that the Halls were planning a vacation to Europe and came to
Alfred, New York, to study German in anticipation of that trip.
Oil on canvas of a tree by Parker
that exhibits the strong influence
of cubism on his work. Signed
on the front
“G PARKER”, on reverse
“Weld 2/25/45.”
Collection: Ron Kransler