During the Industrial Revolution of early nineteenth-century Europe, a new spirit of innovation reigned upon the people and culture. Decorative novelties were increasingly popular at the time, and by the mid-1840s, glass paperweights made their debut. Their popularity was fostered by the growing interest in letter-writing as a pastime, especially among the upper and middle class.
The first glass paperweights are said to have appeared at the Exhibition of Austrian Industry in Vienna in 1845, created by Petro Bigaglia of Venice. Once the French Saint-Louis glass factory learned of the concept of the paperweight, they began to manufacture their own.
Factories such as the Clichy factory and Baccarat factory, also in France, began fabricating paperweights at around the same time. The three factories emerged as rivals in the paperweight industry of France, and as a result, produced some of the most innovative and beautiful paperweight designs ever made. This period is termed the Classic Period of French paperweights, dating from around 1845 to 1855.
However, it was the Clichy factory that brought the popularity of the paperweight to a global scale, manufacturing paperweights that were displayed at the Great Exposition at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851, and at the New York Crystal Palace in 1853. These displays were in large part responsible for the spawn of the American Classic Period of paperweight making, which was from 1852 to the 1870s—long after the paperweight had lost its popularity in Europe.
The paperweight continues to be manufactured to this day. Companies have begun to showcase their brand by presenting their logo on a glass paperweight, thus using the paperweight as a form of advertisement. There are approximately 20,000 paperweight collectors around the world, and collectors associations oftentimes hold national or regional conventions.
