McKinley Commemorative Plate

Manufacturer United States Glass Co. (American (Pittsburgh, PA), 1891 - 1962)

Datec. 1901

MediumNon-flint clear pressed glass

Dimensions10 1/2 x 8 in. (26.7 x 20.3 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Glass

Credit LineGift of the Iowa State Questers. In the Iowa Quester Glass Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2005.70

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextThe assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 prompted a wave of national mourning and renewed public interest in his life and legacy. Among those who sought to document his story was author Murat Halstead, who claimed to have possessed a deep personal friendship with the late president. Halstead’s biography begins with the tragic events in Buffalo, New York, before recounting McKinley’s early years in rural Ohio and his service in the Union Army during the Civil War. The book then culminates in McKinley’s political ascent which led him to the white house in 1896, a time which Halstead described as “The High-Water Mark of American Prosperity.” Commemorative glassware from his presidency as well as after his assassination were popular to collect as a way to memorialize McKinley. https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.illustriouslifeo00hals/?st=pdf&pdfPage=12

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