User:Extabulis/H. P. Sinclaire Jr.

Henry Purdon Sinclaire Jr. (1864 - 1927), often referred to as H.P., was one of the leading figures in the glass industry in Corning, New York during the American Brilliant Cut Glass period.

Biography
Henry Purdon Sinclaire, Jr., was born to Henry Purdon Sinclaire, Sr., (1834 - 1902) and Frances Augusta Oakes (1833 - 1872) in New York City. His father was the secretary and part-owner of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Works (later Corning Inc.). In 1868, the company moved to Corning, New York, where it became known as the Corning Glass Works. The Sinclaire family followed, with Henry and his younger brother William.

After his mother died in 1872, Sinclaire and his brother were raised by his aunts. He attended the Corning Free Academy and developed an interest in drawing. In 1882, he enrolled at the Rochester Business University. From there he intended to go into business in New York City, but changed his mind when his father's friend Thomas Hawkes offered him a job as a bookkeeper in Hawkes Rich Cut Glass Works.

Sinclaire began his new position in September 1883. He helped wherever he was needed, and learned about many aspects of the glass business. He steadily added more sales and business duties to his workload, eventually becoming Thomas Hawkes' right-hand man, and later a full partner in the company.

While Sinclaire appreciated the cut glass the company was known for, he was interested in experimenting with a simpler style using engraving. He began to adapt his drawings of plants, animals, and human figures to shapes, and tried his hand at designing blanks. Hawkes encouraged his employee, but did not think these designs would have a market.

Around this time, Sinclaire ran a china decorating business, The Ravenwood Company. The company was known for hand-painting blanks from Limoges, Bavaria, and Vienna.

In 1891, Sinclaire met Christina Murray, a friend of his father's second wife. They married the following June, and their first child, Robert, was born in 1893. Their second son, Douglas, was born three years later, and a set of twins, Murray and John, was born in 1900. Christina died soon after, leaving Sinclaire to raise their four children alone. Two years later, in 1902, Sinclaire's father died.

In April 1904, Sinclaire announces that he would leave Hawkes and form his own company, H.P. Sinclaire & Co. opened the same month, focused on producing the engraved designs Sinclaire had been creating for more than a decade.