The first iconic pieces, introduced in 1943, are a set of mixing bowls in classic primary colors - red, blue, green, and yellow. Starting in the 1940s, during and after World War II, Corning began courting homemakers with a new line of Pyrex available in a wide range of colors. According to the Corning Museum of Glass, this messware was so difficult to break that Harvey Littleton, an Army sergeant and son of early Pyrex developers Jesse and Becky “Bessie” Littleton, was known for betting his fellow soldiers a dollar that he could hurl the Pyrex glass at walls without it breaking. Initially, though, these products weren’t intended for the home - instead, the glass was produced as a durable line of “messware,” or tableware for soldiers, for the United States military. In 1936, Corning acquired the Macbeth-Evans Glass Company in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, and began producing the opaque white “opal glass” that is now coveted by collectors. The first Pyrex tableware to hit the market was made from clear glass. Pyrex was so difficult to break that an Army sergeant was known for betting his fellow soldiers a dollar that he could hurl the Pyrex glass at walls without it breaking. With the introduction of Pyrex, home cooks could now prep, cook, serve, and store their favorite dishes all in the same bowl. It’s also less susceptible to thermal shock, or breakage that occurs in extreme temperature disparities.
Thanks to the addition of boron trioxide, borosilicate glass is described as “low-expansion,” which means it’s less likely to explode in high-heat environments like a ripping hot oven.
revolutionized the at-home glassware market with the introduction of borosilicate glass. Pyrex made its debut on the consumer market in 1915, when Corning Inc. Whether it’s the resurgence in the mid-century modern aesthetic, a collective obsession with all things vintage, or the fact that many believe in its superior quality, there’s no denying the enduring appeal of Pyrex. Now, the timeless serving dishes are having a renaissance of sorts, thanks to a thriving secondary market powered by antique malls, intimate circles of collectors, and of course, eBay. The avocado green casserole dishes in the “Spring Blossom” print and classic mixing bowls, sold in sets of primary colors, have held countless top-secret family recipes and decorated the dinner tables of multiple generations. Many of us likely remember some iconic piece of Pyrex glassware in a mom or grandma’s kitchen. Instead, I’ve been longing to spend my days safely wandering the dust-draped aisles of small-town antique stores and junk shops of all kinds in search of vintage Pyrex. As pandemic restrictions that required mask-wearing and limited capacity for businesses of all kinds wound down over the past several months, I’d be lying if I said the first thing I wanted to do was go to a restaurant.
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