Tumbler: Hazel Atlas, State Map Souvenir Glass, Delaware, Gay Fad, Vintage 1950s

This 1950s Hazel Atlas state souvenir tumbler, decorated by the Gay Fad Decorating Company, celebrates Delaware — a small state with a proud history, and a charming piece of Americana for anyone with a connection to the First State.

• Maker: Hazel Atlas Glass Co., with Gay Fad Decorating Co.
• Pattern: State Souvenir Map, Delaware
• Materials: Frosted glass with fired-on color illustration
• Dimensions: 5.0″ tall, 2.75″ diameter at top, 2.25″ at base
• Origin: USA
• Era: Vintage 1950s
• Condition: Excellent vintage condition. Absolutely nothing wrong with this glass. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

Perfect for the collector building the full fifty-state set, a thoughtful gift for someone who grew up in or moved to Delaware, or a delightful piece of mid-century travel nostalgia for the vintage enthusiast.

These state souvenir tumblers were made by Hazel Atlas with fired-on illustrations by the Gay Fad Decorating Company, signed \"GF\" off the map itself, in the waves at the lower right. Each glass celebrated a different state in a wonderfully kitschy mid-century way, highlighting landmarks and points of interest in cheerful color. The HA mark from Hazel Atlas is faintly visible on the base.

That small \"GF\" is worth a look. It stands for Gay Fad Studios, founded by Fran Taylor, who started decorating glassware at home in 1939 because she couldn't find anything but heavy, formal, Victorian-style pieces for casual entertaining. She built that idea into an international company based in Lancaster, Ohio, that ran until 1962, and she was one of the few women running a glassware company of her day. Gay Fad bought plain blanks from makers like Hazel Atlas and hand painted or silk screened them with whimsical designs. Collectors still celebrate the pieces, and the studio has been revived in Lancaster with a museum of original glassware.

The Hazel Atlas Corporation was founded in 1885 in Wellsburg, WV, by Charles N. Brady and C.H. Tallman. It began by making glass inserts for zinc canning-jar lids and grew into the largest glass-container manufacturer in the world. In 1956 it was acquired by the Continental Can Company.

Browse our shop for more Hazel Atlas state souvenir glasses to round out your collection.