Nineteenth-century American glassmakers experimented with new methods to create products for a growing consumer market. In the 1820s, pressing glass into metal molds by machine was perfected, and by the mid-1800s, manufacturers were creating a variety of inexpensive pressed glass housewares. America's middle-class consumers could now decorate their homes with attractive glass bowls, creamers, dishes, plates, vases, and other tableware.