Author, lecturer, and painter Paul Hollister (1918-2004) was one of the foremost scholars of 17th to 19th century glass studies, glass paperweights, and contemporary studio art glass. Hollister’s interest in glass was sparked when, upon the death of his mother, he inherited 10 paperweights she had collected during her travels in Europe. He went on to write The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, the first comprehensive examination of the history and production of paperweights. He made a name for himself as a Renaissance man in the glass community by publishing half a dozen books and writing more than 150 articles on topics as varied as the depiction of glass in the paintings of Vermeer to Art Deco on French ocean liners. His collection contains materials he created and collected during his lifetime that document his interest in a variety of glass subjects.

Beginning in 1993, Hollister donated portions of his glass research collection to the Rakow Research Library. After his death in 2004, his widow Irene continued to send materials to the Library until her death in 2016. At her bequest, generous financial support was provided for the arrangement and description of Hollister’s collection. Researchers will find his collection a mosaic of glass history and knowledge.

Projected Outcomes

(completed)

• Finding aid for Paul M. Hollister Collection
• Sound recordings of Hollister’s lectures, conference presentations, and interviews with glass scholars and contemporary glass artists
• Collection rehoused and preserved

Partners & Funding

This project is supported by the Estate of Irene Hollister.