14 November 2013

Mad Men Glassware

 If you've been reading my blog, you know that I've just come through a very rough summer. As such, I needed to distract myself occasionally and one evening stumbled upon Mad Men on Netflix. One episode turned into four, and now Spouse and I have worked our way through Season 5. This series is about the Madison Avenue ("MAD Men") advertising business and is set in the 1960's. Maybe it's because I grew up in that era that I love this show so much. Although it's a drama (and quite a drama at that!), I like the fact that the series is anchored in actual events from that era. I tell myself that it's historical fiction! :)

 At any rate, one thing you'll notice right away is the pervasive cocktail culture on Mad Men. Everyone drinks all the time, from morning until night, even at work. One evening while watching an episode in Season 1, I noticed this glassware and jumped right out of my chair:

 My parents had a set of water glasses in this same design! I found the set (missing three glasses) out in the garage, of all places. At the time Mom passed away five years ago, Dad and I took a few items to the Salvation Army. The glasses were on the truck to go, but I snagged them at the last minute. Somehow I forgot that they were in the garage all this time, so when I found them this summer they were pretty dirty. Although I've always liked them, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to keep them until I saw them on Mad Men!

As I watched Mad Men over the summer, I often saw glassware in this design -- including the exact set that my parents owned. So I brought them home and carefully cleaned them up. The gold leafing is very fragile, so these glasses definitely can't go in the dishwasher.
 

Then I got the idea to complete the set. As luck would have it, I found a set of three identical glasses on Ebay for just $9. Perfect!
 

Now the set is complete! Sure, they'll probably only be filled with water or tea, but I'll still channel my inner Betty Draper whenever I use them!
 
Now to refurbish that old bar cart that I brought home... :)
 jp

1 comment:

Kristina said...

Very cool! It's uncanny that I'm reading your post because My Aunt just gave me the last two glasses of my Grandmother's cobalt blue set that my Aunt remembers my Grandmother drinking out of every day. I only have two of them, but that's okay.