Libbey Glass Company Advertisements

Libbey Glass began as the New England Glass Company in 1918 in South Boston (Suffolk). For nearly 100 years, the company, and its successor, Libbey Glass, was a major producer of fine cut glass. In 1888, Edward Libbey, son of the original owner, closed the New England plant and moved the Company to Toledo, OH.

In 1903, employee, Michael Owens, developed a technique for making glass bottles, tumblers and chimneys for lamps by machine, instead of by hand. The invention cut labor costs and increased production considerably. Today, the successor to Owens' original machine can produce a million bottles a day.

With the increased popularity of the automobile, and using Michael Owen's invention, the Libbey Glass Company began to produce windshields. You may have heard the name Libbey-Owens-Ford, which until 1993 was the corporate owner of Libbey Glass Company. Now you know where the "Owens" part came from.

The company remains in operation today, as a stand-alone entity. In 2004, Libbey was the United States' largest manufacturer of glass dinnerware, with plants in Louisiana, California, and Ohio, as well as in the Netherlands, Mexico, China, and Portugal.

Click on any of the thumbnail photos to see a larger image.

Thumbnail Description of Advertisement
Libbey Cut Glass 1905 Libbey Cut Glass, 1905
Libbey 1907 Ad Libbey Cut Glass, 1907
Libbey 1908 Ad Libbey Cut Glass, 1908
1941 Libbey ad Libbey Modern American Glassware, 1941
1941 Libbey ad Libbey Modern American Glassware, 1941
Libbey 1950 Ad Libbey Hostess Set, Horseless Carriage, 1950
Libbey 1952 Ad Libbey Hostess Set, Circus, 1952
Libbey 1952 Ad Libbey Hostess Set, Basketweave, 1952
Libbey 1956 Ad Libbey New Dimensions, 1956
(Libbey division of Owens-Illinois)
Libbey 1963 Ad Libbey tumblers, 1963
Libbey 1970 Ad Libbey decorated tumblers, 1970