Pairpoint Glass

A benchmark of Boston's glassmaking excellence, the Pairpoint Corporation is heralded as one of most enduring American glassmakers. Originating in South Boston, Pairpoint combined expertise in both glass and silversmithing to render creations that still compel collectors today.

Pairpoint began with the launch of the Mount Washington Glass Company in 1837, which developed a reputation for its fine cut-glass pieces. Their introduction of Lava glass followed by Burmese glass only added to Mount Washington's acclaim and secured their status among the most-beloved American producers.

In the 1890s, the glassworks was subsumed by Thomas Pairpoint, who owned a world-renowned silversmithing company. The merged entities were known as the Pairpoint Corporation, which grew exponentially in popularity from that point onward. One of Pairpoint's greatest successes was the Puffy lamp, which consisted of an elaborate metal base with a kaleidoscopically-colored glass shade.

Quick Facts

• Pairpoint glass pieces are featured in the collections of world-class museums such as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston's Museum of Fine Arts
• Well-preserved Pairpoint Puffy lamps are so coveted by collectors that they can sell for several thousand dollars at auction
• The current Pairpoint glass company in Sagamore, Massachusetts is not connected to the original corporation that ceased operations in 1938. Pairpoint tried to reorganize after their 1938 shuttering as the Gunderson-Pairpoint company, but this rebranding worked only until 1957, when the corporation closed down completely