The New Martinsville Glass Manufacturing Company operated between 1901 and 1940 in the city of New Martinsville, West Virginia, USA. It was the predecessor of Viking Art Glass.
In the early years the elegant New Martinsville Glass Company produced items for the boudoir such as perfume bottles, vanity jars, dresser sets, etc. They also made a line of lamps, smoking and liquor sets. New Martinsville Glass Co. began making distinctive colored and decorative glassware in 1923.
Around 1940, the company redirected to concentrate on modernization and hand-made quality glassware which the company called “Swedish Type”. The new style was popular for many years and was produced by nearly all glass makers in the world. Today the decorative style is called Swedish Modern.
The factory was renamed Viking Glass Co. to reflect the modern attitude in the early 1940’s. Viking produced modern, colorful, hand-made glass for every function and was successful for the next 40 years. Although Viking produced very little crackle glass overall, the Viking crackle fairy light was a real gem and scarcely seen today. In 1986 the company’s name was changed to Dalzell-Viking.
Viking did not copy its competition’s styles as readily as the others did, and Viking products are usually easily recognizable. The popular “Epic” line began production in the early 1960’s and featured modern shapes and designs including giant floor vases with the hand-pulled tips that are highly sought after today.
Viking made a huge variety of colorful art glass items and competed with the likes of Blenko, Pilgrim, Kanawha and Bischoff. Another popular glass maker of the mid-century, Rainbow Art Glass, was a subsidiary of Viking. Viking Glass Company/Dalzell-Viking closed its doors in the 1990’s.
Retro Art Glass offers a large selection of authentic antique, vintage and retro glassware and art glass by famous makers of the past. Visit Retro Art Glass at https://www.retroartglass.com and browse through hundreds of fascinating and available glass objects from years gone by.