Jockey Stems

It's a long story but about 10 years ago I started collecting "elegant glass" made mostly by artisans in Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia. Some of the most beautiful stemware you have ever seen was made in this area and the period I love is mostly the 1920's and 1930's.

We've lost so much elegance in this country, I long for a period when you dressed for dinner, wore gloves regularly and dined in style every night of the week.

So what does this have to do with "equestrian chic"? I'll show you...................

We are a month away from the Kentucky Derby and at my house we don't pull out the silver mint julep cups for the Run for the Roses. Instead, we pull out our Old Morgantown Glass Jockey Stems. Take a look:

These glasses were made for Gulfstream Park Racetrack in the 1940's. I assume that there was a restaurant or a club at the track where they served drinks in these Jockey Stem Glasses. They come in only two colors, the "amber" stem in the first photo and "clear" in the second one.  The photos don't do the glasses justice.  These were part of the "institutional line" for Old Morgantown, they made glasses for companies, railroads, etc.  But can you imagine a race track today serving its guests with these?  They are really fun. I try to imagine who used them and the stories they could tell..........