Ernst Mahler, a Neenah resident and Kimberly- Clark Corporation inventor, purchased this collection of drinking glasses in 1931 in Vienna, Austria as a gift for his wife, Carol. By 1994, the entire collection was given to Bergstrom-Mahler Museum.

The examples in this exhibit represent a span of four centuries of glassmaking. The earliestpiece is dated 1573. Glassmaking in Northern Europe began in the forested areas with the earliest production in the German speaking regions of Spessart in 1406. Glass production increased by the19th century and made glassware an affordable household item. From viewing these objects, it is easy to understand how some of our modern glassware such as highball, wine and water glasses have evolved from the enameled beakers, covered goblets and engraved tumblers of early European glassmakers.