Platonite vase by Hazel-Atlas.

Vintage glassware is a big part of our inventory here at Allora Vintage.  My hometown was a glass-making center from the 1920’s through the 1980’s, and I’ve come into possession of lots of original, untouched glassware made by Hazel-Atlas, Brockway, and Anchor-Hocking.

Most people just call any old white glassware “milk-glass,” but that’s not usually correct.  True milk glass tends to be solidly opaque and isn’t terribly sturdy.  It’s easily confused with all the other white glassware made since the Victorian era.  Hazel-Atlas, for example, made white-glass lines such as Platonite (introduced in 1936) that are more translucent than milk-glass.  They are also stronger, making them more suitable for kitchen and table use.   Patterns made with Platonite glass could be fired in any number of colors.  Moderntone was made in dinnerware with both pastel and vivid colors fired on to white Platonite glass in the late 1930s and ‘40s.

Moderntone by Hazel-Atlas

After WWII, Hazel-Atlas was especially known for their kitchenware: butter dishes, stacking storage containers, juicers, mixing bowls, and the like.  We have many examples of each in different colors and patterns.  It’s great to look at and also still great to use in the kitchen today!

Besides Hazel-Atlas, we have numerous examples of Brockway and Anchor-Hocking glassware – some white, some beautifully colored.

My mother (for one ill-fated summer) and my aunt both worked at Hazel-Atlas during its heyday, and I’m proud to be able to share some of this family history with our friends and customers.  Let me know if something catches your eye – milk glass or not!