BY STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—When we think of fashion of the 1890s, we typically envision massive rear bustles and giant mutton-leg sleeves. We don’t think of glass clothing. We don’t think of glass clothing from any era, really. But indeed there was a moment in the 1890s, around the time of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, when the forces of fashion seemed intent on turning woven-glass clothing into “a thing.” Then reality set in: glass is pretty darn fragile.
But in that brief period when the question “can we?” crowded out any consideration of “should we?”, people absolutely gave it a go. And when the impracticalities finally became too obvious to ignore, glass clothing became something of a party trick, a neat little demonstration by glass blowers to entertain the masses.
Henry Walsh’s “Famous and Original Quincuplexal Glass Show” was one of these traveling spectacles. And they came to Brandon in March of 1900, astounding local residents with their ability to spin glass into all sorts of wearable confectionery.
A Brandon Union article from March 16, 1900 notes that “the spinners’ and weavers’ display created great admiration, from the ladies present especially. The glass dress is a wonder…”
The glass was spun into exceedingly fine “threads” that were flexible enough to be woven, particularly when reinforced by other fibers, such as silk. It created a pliable “cloth” with a unique sheen (see photos). As long as one stood stock still and was content to simply look beautiful, glass clothing seemed enchanting. But even just the ordinary movements of the human body began to break the glass fibers fairly quickly and glass clothing as fashion gave way to glass clothing simply as art.
Eventually even the artistic merits of glass clothing seem to have bored the American people, as these glass shows faded into obscurity along with all the frocks and frills. Today, the few pieces that remain are mostly in museums.
