Leslie Ritten

Theory/Method Material Culture Study

Dr. Mark Janzen

March 26, 2024

Object Analysis 2: Glass Insulator

The glass object pictured above has always been a curiosity for me because my husband,

as a child, collected over one hundred of them in various sizes and colors which he still has

today. In order to further analyze the glass insulator above, I will use E. McClung Flemings “5

Basic Properties Formula”.

Identification:

The glass cylindrical object has a rounded top, with a hollow bottom. The aqua coloring on the

rounded portion of the object becomes darker, almost black closer to the bottom. The open
bottom has one of row teeth. Embossed lettering is on both sides of the object. One side is

embossed “Hemingray No. 12” and on the opposite side reads “Patent May 1893”. There is a

chip between “May” and 1893”. The object measures 3.5” in height, 2.25” in diameter at the

base and 1.25” in diameter at the top. The interior of the object has grooves that run continuously

from top to bottom.

Evaluation:

The glass insulator pictured above was used for telephone wires that connected from the

telephone poles to an individual home. The upper wire groove of the insulator held the line that

ran from the telephone pole, while the lower groove was used for the drop line that enters a

home. Hemingray produced these particular insulators from 1893 to the 1940’s. The sand used to

create the glass was from sourced from the Hoosier Slide on Lake Michigan near Michigan City,

Indiana. 1

Cultural Analysis:

Robert Hemingray and Ralph Gray created the glass works company Hemingray & Gray in 1848

in Cincinnati, Ohio. After several name changes the company came to be known as Hemingray

Glass Company and operated three factories in Muncie, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio, and

Covington, Kentucky. The company produced telegraph and telephone pin insulators for utility

poles, as well as jars and other glass products.

The No. 12 insulator, otherwise known as the “Double Pony” was patented on May 2, 1893. This

was an important milestone for the company. The insulator was designed to have drip points

1
Arlen Rienstra, “Hemingray On-Line Museum,” Hemingray.net, accessed March 23, 2024,
https://hemingray.net/articles/hemingray-blue/.
which helped draw condensation from it to prevent a short. This design became one of their most

popular and used until the 1930’s when the company revamped the “Double Pony”.2

Interpretation:

Today there are many collectors of all types of insulators. If you google the word “insulator”

multiple websites appear that sell them such as eBay, Etsy, and many smaller online retailers.

There are several discussion posting websites dedicated to insulators as well as multiple

published articles. I was able to find an abundance of detailed information and catalogues

devoted to the ones specifically produced by the Hemingray Glass Company. Because insulators

were produced in various colors and designs, it appears that people collect them for pleasure, as

they are not used today. Insulator prices range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars

depending on how many of a specific type were produced.

My husband, like many of the collectors, started his collection as a child. When his parents, in

his words, “dragged” him to an antique store, he would spend hours sorting through bins of

discarded insulators. He began to collect insulators in various colors, shapes, and sizes. Today, he

still enjoys going through his insulators with our daughter. The objects remind her of sea glass.

2
Christian E. Willis, “Hemingray Company History,” Hemingray.info, accessed March 23, 2024,
https://www.hemingray.info/database/facts.php.
 Works Cited

Rienstra, Arlen. “Hemingray On-Line Museum.” Hemingray.net. Accessed March 23, 2024.
https://hemingray.net/articles/hemingray-blue/.

Willis, Christian E. “Hemingray Company History.” Hemingray.info. Accessed March 23, 2024.
https://www.hemingray.info/database/facts.php.