By Patrick Brennan
Times-Journal Staff
AYLMER -- There was a time when corn flower glass products were as common in households as pocket change in Canada.
“It was the most common shower, anniversary or wedding gift given from the 1940s to the 1960s,” said Pat Zimmer, curator of the Aylmer and District Museum.
An extensive collection of corn flower glass creations opened recently at the museum.
The history of the collection owned by Michelle Addley, a volunteer at the museum, traces back to the Hoshal family sale held in Springfield several years ago.
Evelyn Hoshal’s daughter, Dianna Brethour, asked the museum to assemble a sale of her corn flower glass collection, before she moved to Terrace Lodge.
“While helping with the organization of items for the sale, Michelle fell in love with two corn flower fan glass candlewick vases,” Zimmer said. “Unfortunately, Dianna decided to keep the vases and Michelle began her search for duplicates.”
That was in 2003 and, since then, Addley has collected more than 300 corn flower pieces in various patterns.
It was a Canadian, W.J. Hughes, who created the patterns for corn flower glass while working as a glass cutter for Rodan Cut Glass in Toronto.
Hughes developed the corn flower patterns in 1912 and by 1914, was working for himself, creating the products from his basement.
The business operated until 1988 when the Dufferin County Museum purchased the trademark and other legal rights to produce corn flower. It’s so named for the distinct corn flower design that is reproduced on all pieces.
Zimmer said Addley began collecting corn flower wherever she could find it.
In 2006, the Aylmer and District Museum devoted one case to a sampling of Addley’s collection. Zimmer was later convinced by Addley she could fill all the display cases at the museum with a complete exhibition.
Zimmer saw the merit of devoting an entire show to Addley’s collection.
“When you choose a theme for an exhibit, you are also choosing an audience. There are a number of glass collectors who would be interested.”
Corn flower glass items earned a solid reputation as a collectible, Zimmer believes.
“It was the middle class answer to cut glass,” she said.
The exhibition got a thumbs up recently when Wayne Townsend, author of the book Corn Flower Creatively Canadian, conducted an appraisal on Addley’s collection.
“This perked a lot of interest,” Zimmer said.
In fact, Zimmer found out an old wedding gift to her of candlestick holders was actually corn flower.
“Unknowingly, I found out of I was the owner of corn flower,” she said.
Zimmer says corn flower items have a “subtle sparkle to them compared to the brilliance of cut glass.”
“They don’t compete but enhance,” she said.
As part of the exhibition, corn flower collectors will be at the museum May 14 give advice on how to identify real corn flower items. Zimmer said knockoffs of the product are common in the glass industry.
The exhibit runs until July 12.
The museum is located at 14 East St. Telephone: 519-773-9723.
Publisher: Bev Ponton Proprietor and published by Sun Media Corporation - A Quebecor Media Company at 16 Hincks St., St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada N5R 5Z2
