Lorna
by Mark Nye
Issue No. 115 - November 1982
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article is the second of a series of articles by Mark Nye dealing with the "Cambridge Girls", i.e. those etchings bearing girls' names.
The plate etching Lorna was introduced by Cambridge in late 1930 and was first listed in the fall addition to the January 1930 Cambridge catalog. Hazel Weatherman shows an ad for Lorna in her book Colored Glassware of the Depression Era 2 and indicates the ad dates from 1930 but gives no exact date or source. The ad copy includes several references that this is a new etching.
In the fall addition to the catalog issued the previous January,
only two pieces of the Lorna etching are shown. These appear on the
last page of this 11-page supplement with eleven other assorted items
under the title "Miscellaneous" and are the #1226 10" 2 handled plate
and the #1225 9" 2 handled bowl.
Trade publications in early 1931 listed the Lorna pattern. Ads describing the pattern as new appeared in the February and March 1931 issues of China, Glass and Lamps and the February ad describes Lorna as "Irish Lace effect."
A Cambridge catalog supplement issued in early 1931 devoted two complete pages to Lorna with other scattered references. One of the pages shows the 3015 stemware, fingerbowl and plate plus the #935 64-oz. jug. The other complete page is headed "Decagon Dinnerware Plate Etched '748' Lorna" and illustrates ten examples of Lorna on Decagon blanks. Various items etched Lorna also appear in the 1932 and 1933 catalog additions. These include the 3400/38 beverage set, the 3400/27 beverage set, assorted vases, bowls and other occasional pieces. Two 3035 stems etched Lorna - the goblet and tall sherbet - are shown in the ad used by Hazel Weatherman. CLICK HERE to see the referenced Catalog and Supplement pages (Note that this may load very slowly on dial-up lines).
The 1931 line of Ebony Silver Decorated Ware contained several items with the Lorna pattern, designated as Decorate D/973-S. Included in this group are such pieces as the #935 64 oz. jug, #1242 10" vase, #867 sugar and creamer and assorted bowls. The 1932 catalog addition devotes almost a complete page to Lorna with gold encrustation, the Cambridge designation being Decorate 996.
No additional pieces of Lorna appear in the 1934 catalog supplement. The 1940 Cambridge Glass Company catalog contained no reference to Lorna. Thus, it can be concluded the etching was discontinued sometime between 1934 and January 1, 1940.
Lorna can be found in Gold Krystol, Amber, Emerald (light), Peach-Blo, Crystal and Heatherbloom. As is true with all of the etchings, Heatherbloom pieces are seldom seen. I have seen one piece of Heatherbloom Lorna and it was a keyhole vase. However, it is possible that luncheon or dinner sets were produced in Heatherbloom since they are known in Portia and Gloria. Other colors are possible, especially Willow Blue.
Since one sees few pieces of Lorna today, it would appear this etching did not achieve the popularity some of the other Cambridge etchings enjoyed even though an article in the September 1978 issue of the "Cambridge Crystal Ball" states Lorna "was available in complete lines including stemware, dinnerware, individual decorative pieces and novelty items." It is an attractive pattern and well worth the effort currently required to assemble a collection.