Collecting Milk Glass Easter Eggs

Milk glass doesn’t just refer to the glass you use to drink your milk. The term is used by collectors referring to a special white opaque type of glass. To Victorian's it became an inexpensive alternative to porcelain tableware. Milk glass has been in production for centuries but before 1900, milk glass was called opal glass by the glass manufacturing companies. It wasn’t until after the 1900’s that the general public started using the term milk glass. 

The old trade catalogues from that time show a huge variety of objects often called novelty pieces. These included, dresser sets, pin trays, salt and pepper shakers, souvenir pieces, nesting chickens, hand painted Easter eggs and just about every kind of whimsy imaginable. (all the linked items are for sale at Reuzeit Emporium)

The Kerosene Lamp Lit their Night

   In 1896, my grandparents were married in a double wedding. The other couple were my grandmother’s older sister, Carrie, and George, a boy from the neighboring farm. It was customary at the time for the oldest daughter to get married before the younger daughters. My engaged Grandmother had to wait five years before Carrie would be engaged herself and ready to marry. It was agreed that Carrie and George would stay on and take over his family farm. My grandmother and grandfather moved up to northern Minnesota, opened a general store, and started a new life on their own.

   Life in 1896 was very different from the life we live today. About three quarters of the country lived and worked on small family farms, the rest lived in small towns or in big cities. Travel was difficult, there were only a few country roads, and most people traveled on rutted trails made by horse drawn wagons. This made it difficult for people to get around and they were isolated in their rural surroundings. Things we take for granted today, like electric lights, indoor plumbing, and central heating did not exist in 1896.