Fenton Art Glass Company was established in 1905 in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, to decorate glass with enamel paints. By the next year it had become obvious that, in order to have the glass blanks needed for the decorating, Fenton was going to have to make their own glass. A glass plant was built in Williamstown, West Virginia, and Fenton began producing the glass in 1907. Shortly thereafter, Fenton led the way in developing carnival glass. In the years since, Fenton Glass has introduced many new colors of glass. Glass finishing techniques used over the century of the company’s existence include etching, enamel painted designs, wheel cutting, applied metal decorations, gilt edges, and, early, non-fired colored paints.

Fenton was a leading producer of carnival glass from 1908 to 1920, and had over one hundred and fifty patterns of carnival glass in production between those years. This form of glass was reintroduced in the 1960′s by other companies, and Fenton followed suit in the 1970′s. By then Fenton had also added a raised oval trademark to all their ware, so newer carnival glass by Fenton can be differentiated from the older pieces. Fenton reintroduction of carnival glass included the old molds of theirs and other companies, and new patterns were also created. In 1976, in honor of the United States bi-centennial, red, white and blue carnival glass items were featured.

Opalescent glass and two-color overlay glass are a specialty of the Fenton Company, as well as the many Fenton glass colors.

During World War II, the company continued to develop new styles of glass, and the “crest” glasses. Fenton experiments also produced white milk glass with clear and opalescent edges, and handles have always been added by hand to molded glass dishes to create baskets. The handle makers have individual marks used in the attachment of the handle, and over 20 such marks have been assigned.

Fentons has begun an Artist in Residence program to create art glass wares included vases and eggs. They have also recapitulated some of the Early American wares and Pattern glass in new forms to increase their popularity with glass collectors, if not with antique collectors, who have to deal with excited newby’s who have new glass that they think are antiques.

Fenton joined forces with QVC in the late 1980′s, selling Birthstone Bears and other Fenton items through the TV shopping channel. Fenton Art Glass also established a web site where collectors can shop and subscribe to news and upcoming event notices. By these adaptations, Fenton, threatened several times with imminent closure, has been able to modify their business practices and stay in business.

As late as 2009-2010, Fenton was introducing new colors named Jolly Green and Robin’s Egg Blue. The latest customer flyers show the number of painted decorations to be expected in the Fenton line. Many of the decoration patterns are applied to only one or two colors of glass. Some of the color and pattern combinations are listed below.

Final Word: There are bound to be colors and/or painted decorations and/or shapes that please your eye and taste. Buying those pieces (hopefully below published price) to add to a collection is palatable, but this glass is readily available on the secondary market and whether you can get your money back by selling it is doubtful.

The following colors are among the many made by the Fenton Art Glass Company.
Colors: opaque:

• Black or Ebony
• Blue Marble
• Blue Pastel
• Blue Satin (matte)
• Chinese Yellow
• Custard Satin (matte)
• Green Pastel
• Goldenrod (yellow)
• Jade Green
• Kitchen Green
• Lavender Satin (matte)
• Lilac
• Lime Sherbet (matte)
• Malachite Green (matte)
• Mandarin Red (banded with yellow), also called Patriot Red in 1776
• Milk-glass
• Mongolian green (banded)
• Moonstone (white)
• Opaque Blue
• Pekin Blue
• Persian Blue
• Rose Pastel
• Rose Satin (matte)
• Turquoise

Colors: transparent:

• Aquamarine
• Amber
• Amethyst
• Celeste Blue
• Cobalt
• Colonial Amber
• Colonial Blue
• Colonial Green
• Colonial Orange
• Colonial Pink
• Colonial Ruby
• Crystal (clear)
• Crystal Velvet (matte)
• Florentine Green
• Green Transparent
• Jamestown Blue (green-blue)
• Midnight Blue
• Mulberry
• Orchid
• Pink
• Plum
• Rose
• Royal Blue
• Ruby
• Tangerine (gold color)
• Topaz (medium-light yellow)
• Velva Rose (iridescent)
• Venetian Red

Crest: These are pieces where a trim of one or more thin glass bands are added to the edge of the container. The edge is then generously rippled to bring the fancy trim to the attention of the viewer. Due to technical problems, some of these crests had a very short run.

• Apple Blossom: pink trim on white body
• Aqua Crest: aquamarine blue edge on a milk white body
• Crystal Crest, also of short duration, is a white and clear edge on a white base
• Ebony Crest: black trim on white
• Emerald Crest: Emerald green edges on a white body.
• Flame Crest: red/orange trim on white
• Gold crest was a brief diversion of pieces made of milk white glass with a golden yellow edge. Early pieces are more like skim milk, while the pieces produced in the 1960s were more opaque.
• Ivory crest was made of custard glass, which includes uranium, and a clear edge.
• Rose crest has an edging of pale pink added to glass pieces of different colors.
• Peach crest is white over pink, with a clear edge. These pieces are related to peach blow, where white glass overlays the pink base of the glass item.
• Silver crest pieces were basic milk glass forms with a clear edge added. Most of the edges are highly ruffled to highlight the clear edge. The clear edge was also added to glass pieces of other colors, but the predominant color for the base piece is white milk glass.
• Snow crest is a white edge on a piece of another color like emerald green, amber, amethyst, transparent blue

Overlays: The white under layer brings out the color of the outside glass.

• Amber Overlay
• Apple Green Overlay
• Blue overlay
• Gold Overlay
• Green Overlay
• Honey Amber Overlay
• Ivy Overlay: emerald green over white
• Jamestown Blue Overlay: green/blue over white
• Powder Blue Overlay
• Rose Overlay: pink over white
• Ruby Overlay
• Yellow Overlay

Opalescent glass by Fenton includes basic glass patterns like Coin Dot, Rib Optic, Hobnail. The opalescent colors:

• Aqua Opalescent
• Blue Opalescent, thin white layer over a nice medium blue body.
• Cameo Opalescent: pretty beige with a white overlay, later a medium brown with white overlay
• Crystal Opalescent (or French opalescent) are white over clear.
• Cranberry Opalescent: White over cranberry glass
• Green Opalescent
• Honeysuckle Opalescent
• Lime Green Opalescent
• Plum Opalescent: dark purple with a thin white overlay
• Topaz Opalescent: thin white over yellow (known as vaseline glass by other makers)

The following glass color patterns combine overlay and an added edging of a different color:

• Black Rose: white over pink with a black edge
• Blue Ridge: crystal opalescent in the spiral optic pattern, with a cobalt trim

Other specialty glasses include:

• Amberina: red to yellow
• Burmese: yellow to pink
• Cased Lilac: blue over purple
• Favrene: silver sheen on blue
• Rosalene: pale pink over white, some marbling
• Peach Blow: body rums from pink to white
• Plated Amberina: Amberina over white

Stretch glass pieces by Fenton come in the following colors:

• Celeste Blue
• Florentine Green
• Iridescent (clear)
• Ruby
• Tangerine
• Topaz
• Wisteria

Some of the painted decorations and glass body color combinations:

• Blue Roses on Blue Satin
• Leaf decorated Burmese
• Rose Burmese
• Scenic Decorated Burmese
• Bluebirds on Custard Satin
• Daisies on Custard Satin
• Holly on Custard Satin
• Log Cabin on Custard Satin
• Roses on Custard Satin
• Chocolate Roses on Cameo Satin
• Daisies on Cameo Satin
• Holly on Ruby
• Roses on Ruby
• Butterflies
• Cardinals in Winter
• Christmas Morn
• Decorated Holly
• Love Rose
• Nature’s Christmas
• Old Mill Scene
• Pink Blossom

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