A circa 1900 clear glass stick with swirls in blue, red, yellow and white. Circa 1900. L. 95 cm.

A circa 1900 clear glass stick with swirls in blue, red, yellow and white. Circa 1900. L. 95 cm. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, glassblowers created so-called “whimsies” during breaks and after work. Whimsies are various amusing objects that glassblowers made both for fun and to demonstrate their skills. One category of these whimsies is glass walking sticks, which in England and America had several uses, including as decoration and in parades. Sometimes they were hung above doorways, as glassblowers believed they protected against evil. Source: Michelle Padilla — “When glass workers marched on parade”, 2018, Corning Museum of Glass.