Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - June 2, 1985
By LaVonne Waldron
Vigo County Historical Society

Silvered mug gift "for a good chile'

Today's treasure was intended for a good chile. The inscription on the delicate, silvered glass mug announces for all the world to know: "For a good chile." (Yes, chile.)

The child who received this fragile gift must have put it up to be admired. If the child was ever permitted to use it, he must have done so with care, because it survives intact.

The little mug is 4 1/2 inches tall. It has a softly glowing, silvered look with a clear glass applied handle. Its capacity is approximately four ounces.

The double-walled mug is blown in one piece and has a look similar to the glass liner in a vacuum bottle.

A solution of mercury was poured into the interior through a small aperture. The twin glass walls were coated with the mercury, the excess poured out and the aperture plugged. This created a bright silver metallic surface on the inside of the glass when it was new.

This little mug has lost its seal. The base shows some tarnish caused by exposure to air.

Silvered glass, also called mercury glass, was displayed during the Exhibition of 1851. The ornamental art glass immediately caught the fancy of the public and was produced throughout the last half of the 19th Century.

A variety of silvered glass ornaments were produced by several factories in America and abroad. Sometimes the articles were marked, but most often they were not. The little mug does not have markings.

This treasure if from the collection of the late Helen Condit, born Feb. 28, 1874. The museum received a curio cabinet full of her treasures. The cabinet contains two other examples of silvered glass.

Condit supported the museum financially. She also contributed heirlooms. During the annual meeting in 1954, members of the Vigo County Historical Society recognized Condit's service with an honorary life membership.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.