Dakota Pattern                by Lee Miller

DAKOTA, also known as BABY THUMBPRINT, was made by Ripley & Company in the 1880's and, when Ripley became Company F of the US Glass Company in 1891, it continued the pattern until about 1903. An excellent article on DAKOTA can be found in Lowell Innes' book: Pittsburgh Glass 1797-1891.

A History and Guide for Collectors. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1976. DAKOTA was made in a large variety of pieces and decoration, including ruby flashed. Several pieces are considered rare, including the covered cakestand which comes in three sizess: 8, 9, and 10 inch, plain and engraved.

Alice Metz, in her book: Early American Pattern Glass, describes a 15 inch cover as well. The salad castor or cruet set and side bottles and the sandwich or cake plate with bail are also rare.

The more common pieces are bowls, covered compotes ranging from 5 to 10 inches on high standards, creamers, sugars, spooners, celeries, goblets, tumblers, pitchers and tankards in pint, quart and half gallon sizes and wine and water trays. There are also saloon pieces, such as salt and peppers and a mustard jar. DAKOTA was produced plain, engraved fern and berry, oak leaves, fish and cattails, and birds and butterflies.

As tankards are found with several other bird engravings, it was apparently possible to special order pieces.