Steuben Glass Works was founded in Corning in 1903 by the English glass designer Frederick Carder and the American cut glass manufacturer Thomas G. Hawkes. In 1918, the company was sold to Corning Glass Works. Carder was Steuben’s manager until 1932, and Arthur Amory Houghton Jr. became president of the firm in 1933. The highly refractive glass now characteristic of Steuben was developed in 1930. It inspired Houghton to shift Steuben’s production from colored glasses to heavy blown and engraved wares. Atlantica was created for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Conceived by Steuben designer Sidney Waugh (1904-1963), this 300-pound sculpture of a mermaid riding on the waves of the Atlantic Ocean commemorates the start of glassmaking in America by European immigrants. Atlantica required a team of five glassworkers to pour the molten glass into the sculpture’s mold. Another three workers polished the sculpture, which took several months to complete.