Not all Steuben is signed- most of it is, however. The signatures found on Aurene and most pre 1932 pieces are hand-engraved on the bottom, sometimes with a shape number included. Later, an acid etched fleur-de-lis with the word Steuben was employed. Some early pieces are signed Carder and Steuben both. There are other variations of signatures, but those are the most commonly seen ones.

Carder through Steuben, like Tiffany, also produced architectural glass. The Corning Glass Works building once featured lovely mosaics made of Steuben Aurene glass- sadly, like many architectural Tiffany works as well, the building was demolished.

In 1932, Corning Glass, the parent company was fed up with the Steuben division. It was not turning profit, and they felt that having one man, Carder, in charge of basically everything was an anachronism. The decision was made to forcibly “promote” Carder out of control of Steuben, and to phase out colored glass, replaced by a new modern variety of water clear, high lead content “optical” crystal. In fact, the transition was literally violent; th enew management held a “smashing” of much of the leftover Carder designed stock, which left Carder heartbroken (and many collectors today as well, no doubt). The next day he quietly molded a cire-perdue head of Christ to express his feelings of martyrdom. Thus ended an era.

The legacy of Carder’s artistic vision, executed in an exquisite rainbow of Steuben glass, lives on today in many lucky collector’s displays. Steuben’s glass is truly exemplary of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, and as such, it disappears rapidly when it becomes available.

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