Name/Title
Cup plateEntry/Object ID
2026.18.1Description
Clear colorless glass cup plate. Scalloped edge with chain design around the shoulder. At the center is the Bunker Hill Monument surrounded by the words: 'BUNKER HILL BATTLE FOUGHT / JUNE 17 1775" and thirteen stars. The monument is shown in outline only, with no stones indicated.Context
Likely produced by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company, ca. 1841-1850. While the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts was laid by Lafayette on June 17, 1775, the official Monument Association ran out of funds before the obelisk could be completed. In September 1840, a Ladies Exhibition Fair (Bunker Hill Monument Fair) was organized by Sarah Josepha Hale, an author and editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. The fair was highly successful and raised the remaining funds necessary to complete the construction. To honor and celebrate the financial success, the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company manufactured commemorative pressed-glass cup plates. The cup plates featured an image of the monument and included inscriptions that directly credited the fundraising achievement. This cup plate has the inscription: “Bunker Hill Battle Fought June 17, 1775/ from the Fair to the Brave.” Another inscription used on the cup plates was more pointed: “Finished by the Ladies 1841.”Dimensions
Height
3/8 inDiameter
3-1/2 inMaterial
clear colorless pressed glassInterpretative Labels
Label Type
Object LabelLabel
Cup Plate, circa 1841-1850
Probably Boston & Sandwich Glass Company (active 1825-1888)
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Clear colorless pressed glass
2026.18.1
While the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts was laid by Lafayette on June 17, 1775, the official Monument Association ran out of funds before the obelisk could be completed. In September 1840, a Ladies Exhibition Fair (Bunker Hill Monument Fair) was organized by Sarah Josepha Hale, an author and editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book. The fair was highly successful and raised the remaining funds necessary to complete the construction. To honor and celebrate the financial success, the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company manufactured commemorative pressed-glass cup plates. The cup plates featured an image of the monument and included inscriptions that directly credited the fundraising achievement. This cup plate has the inscription: “Bunker Hill Battle Fought June 17, 1775/ from the Fair to the Brave.” Another inscription used on the cup plates was more pointed: “Finished by the Ladies 1841.”