Van Tassel, Valentine (1902-1979)

Dates

• Existence: 1902 - 1979

Biography

Valentine Van Tassel was born on February 14, 1902 in Lakewood, Ohio. She was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where she met her husband, Edwin M. Guyer who was there pursuing a doctorate in Physics. In 1930, the couple moved to Corning, New York, where Dr. Guyer worked for the Corning Glass Works. It was after their move to Corning when Valentine became interested in glassmaking.

Van Tassel began by studying and collecting early American glass, visiting glasshouses in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. The couple traveled abroad, visiting glass factories in England, Europe, and the Middle East. Valentine observed a wide variety of glass production from automated plate glass to skilled glass artists making one-of-a-kind miniatures. Her interests grew to include stained-glass after visiting the cathedrals of Europe and she would go on to visit a number of stained-glass studios in America.

Valentine corresponded with other glass collectors and glass artists, eventually lecturing, and writing about glass. Van Tassel frequently contributed articles on American glass to The Antiques Journal and published the book American Glass in 1950 (later reprinted in 1967).

Valentine Van Tassel died in August 1979 in Corning, New York.

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