SGAA and the Tariff Question: A Century of Strategic Advocacy
Since the mid-19th century, U.S. stained glass studios have faced constant economic pressure from imported glasswork—pressures rooted in global wage disparities, material costs, and changing U.S. trade policy. Tariffs, particularly those levied on stained glass, have shaped not only the business viability of American studios but also the broader artistic and cultural standing of the domestic stained glass movement.
The recurring “tariff question” became a crucible through which the American stained glass community organized, strategized, and ultimately founded what became the Stained Glass Association of America. From fragmented petitions in the 1880s to landmark Supreme Court cases in the 1890s, from congressional lobbying in the 1920s to union-backed testimony in the 1950s, the SGAA emerged not just as a professional organization, but as a defender of fair trade and artistic equity.
By 2025, SGAA once again found itself responding to proposed tariff changes. The moment serves as a reminder: trade policy is never settled, and SGAA’s role as a vigilant, informed, and collaborative advocate is as vital today as it was at its founding.
The story of SGAA’s tariff engagement is ultimately one of adaptation, advocacy, and the collective will to find opportunity and innovation when faced with challenges and uncertainty.
The Power of our International Community Members and Collective Memory
Besides tariffs, U.S. government actions have affected stained glass producers in the past regarding apprenticeship standards (1940s), consumer product safety (1970s), workplace safety (1980s), and lead safety (1990s), among others. In each case the SGAA or partners in related trades managed to minimize or ameliorate the potential damage to the industry from potential collateral economic fallout resulting from government’s policies.
For the whole story, take a look at these SGQ issues from our archives:
Read this issue from the archives here (opens new window)
“The Tariff Question Revisited: The Impetus for the Formation of the SGAA”
by William Serban
In the Winter 1996 Stained Glass Quarterly, Bill Serban wrote a synopsis of the 'wonky' tariff tug-of-war between the U.S. political parties affecting the SGAA and the entire stained glass profession up to the 1930s and beyond.
William Serban, “The Tariff Question Revisited: The Impetus for the Formation of the SGAA,” Stained Glass Quarterly, V. 91, No. 4, Winter 1996, pp. 293-305
Read this issue from the archives here (opens new window)
"Stained Glass and Government Regulation: The Lead Issue"
by William Serban
In Volume 85, Number 3 (Fall 1990), William Serban wrote a political analysis and historical overview of the current
state of federal efforts to ban the use of lead. We scanned the entire issue so that you can see the letters to the editor and message from the SGAA President calling our members to action and helping inform them of the processes at work.
Read this upcoming article here (opens new window)
"The SGAA and the Tariff Question--Once Again!"
by William Serban
In an upcoming article, Bill outlines the SGAA’s historic and evolving role in advocacy, education, and coalition-building during tariff disputes from the 19th century to today. He emphasizes the importance of learning from past efforts and remaining vigilant, collaborative, and adaptable in the face of renewed trade challenges.
coming Vol. 120 No. 1
Legislative Action in the SGQ
1842: First instance of stained glass appearing on the U.S Tariff Schedule.
1883: Congress raises stained glass tariff rates to 45% but passes a provision for duty-free entry of windows intended for religious institutions.
1888: The United Stained Glass Workers of New York send a petition to the Senate Finance Committee asking that stained and painted glass be stricken from the free list in the Wilson Tariff Bill under consideration.
1890: The case of United States v. Perry is the only case in U.S. history involving stained glass to reach the Supreme Court. The case involved the assessment of tariff’s on stained glass arriving in the port of New York and competing interests struggled to interpret the ambiguous exemption of “stained glass for religious purposes.”
1892: Supreme Court affirms 45% tariff on stained glass in United States v. Perry
1897: Another petition is organized on behalf of 14 studio owners from New York, Philadelphia and Buffalo. There is mounting evidence of the involvement of several key stained glass makers who eventually helped establish the SGAA: James Lamb, John Morgan and Ludwig Von Gerichten.
1903: SGAA predecessor National Ornamental Glass Manufacturers Association (NOGMA) founded to coordinate advocacy work.
1906: NOGMA sponsored a monthly publication called The Monthly Visitor, edited by tariff activist Ludwig Von Gerichten of Columbus, Ohio.
1922: SGAA helps secure higher protective tariffs after WWI - The tariff rate was increased to 55%, but stained glass for religious purposes was retained on the duty-free list if the window was valued at more than $15 per square foot.
1922: Otto Heinigke wrote in The Bulletin that the valuation provision contained the potential for direct action against unfair competition. He also realized the importance of building a strong set of economic statistics in order to prove to the government that unfair trade existed and rallied the community to help create that evidence.
1923: NOGMA set its sights on working with the U.S. Tariff Commission to create a stained glass industry profile.
1929: George L. Payne, of Paterson, NJ., served as the SGAA spokesman as congressional hearings regarding stained glass manufacturing.
1930: Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act is passed, raises rates to 60% but maintains stained glass on the duty-free list.
1934: The Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act of 1934 revolutionized trade policy and sets stained glass tariff rates at 30% with no exceptions.
1950s: French imports on dalle de verre bypass tariffs via legislation—SGAA protests that lower labor costs in French studios create unfair competition.
1970s: SGAA had formal interaction with the federal government in the late 1970s over a regulation to ban glass from doorways.
1980s: SGAA worked to show studio safety methods as it impacted OSHA regulations.
1990s: The SGAA organized lead safety information from across the country and Kirk Weaver of Pittsburgh Stained Glass Studios represented the community in congressional hearings over a congressional effort to ban lead in the environment which had the side effect of threatening to eliminate lead came from stained glass. The SGAA was successful in working with other Lead Manufacturing Industry Partners in gaining exemptions for the stained glass industry.
2025: SGAA prepares to work with Glass Manufacturing Partners to apply for exemptions if offered and continues to monitor ongoing changes to new federal trade legislation.
In summary, the legacy of advocacy put in place over decades of SGAA leadership and coalitions of studio owners, artists and members has been:
- Testifying before Customs Bureau officials about the enforcement of tariffs on stained glass
- Writing, calling and giving testimony to congressional committees and elected representatives about stained glass tariffs
- Writing, calling and submitting written evidence to U. S. presidents in order to support tariff legislation and enforcement
- Gathering documentation about safety and exposure to material over time to present to Congress and Regulatory Committees.
- Submitting legal briefs and being cross-examined before the Supreme Court about the tariff question
We would not be the SGAA we are today without our Members.
The SGAA extends heartfelt thanks to longtime member William “Bill” Serban for his tireless commitment to documenting and preserving our industry's legislative history. Through decades of research, writing, and reflection, Bill has ensured that the complex story of stained glass and trade policy remains accessible, relevant, and deeply human. His work reminds us that the struggles of past generations are not distant—they are foundational. We are grateful for his clarity, his dedication, and his unwavering belief in the power of collective memory.
Bibliography and References:
William Serban, “The Tariff Question Revisited: The Impetus for the Formation of the SGAA,” Stained Glass Quarterly, V. 91, No. 4, Winter 1996, pp. 293-305.
John Gilbert Lloyd, Stained Glass in America, Jenkintown, Pa., Foundation Press, 1963, pp. 96-106
William Serban, “The Tariff Question Revisited: The Impetus for the Formation of the SGAA,” Stained Glass Quarterly, V. 91, No. 4, Winter 1996, p. 304
William Serban, “The Tariff Question Revisited: The Impetus for the Formation of the SGAA,” Stained Glass Quarterly, V. 91, No. 4, Winter 1996, p. 304
William Serban, “Stained Glass and Government Regulation: The Lead Issue,” Stained Glass Quarterly, Fa.1990, pp. 182-184.
“Reagan Calls Polish Leaders ‘Lousy Bums,’” New Orleans Times-Picayune, Oct. 10, 1982, sec. 1, p. 6. Although this shows President Reagan using a tariff tool to coerce a policy change in another country, overall, he was opposed to high tariffs, and he sought to keep product prices low through low tariff rates.
John Gilbert Lloyd, Stained Glass in America, Jenkintown, Pa.: Foundation Press, 1963, pp. 98-99.
U.S. House of Representatives. 54th Cong., 2nd Session. Tariff Hearing Before the Committee on Ways and Means, Washington, D,C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1894, p. p273-274.
U.S. Senate. 53rd Cong., 2d Session. Senate Report 413: Replies to Tariff Inquiries, Bulletin # 7, Washington, D.C., 1894, pp. 132-133.
“In the Cause of Free Art,” New York Times, May 18, 1892, p. 7.
See also, Darlene Brady, William Serban, Orin E. Skinner and Norman Temme, “Mostly About the Magazine.” In Stained Glass Index, 1903-1978. Bronxville, N.Y.: The Stained Glass Association of America, 1978, pp. 8-18.
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Bill was introduced in 1929 and hearings were held on a proposed increase on the duty from 45% to 60%. The Stock Market crash of October 1929 delayed the proceedings and the bill finally became law in 1930.
Orin E. Skinner, “Mostly About the .” In Stained Glass Index, 1903-1978. Bronxville, N.Y.: The Stained Glass Association of America, 1978, p. 11.
U.S. Tariff Commission. Summary of Tariff Information, 1929, on Tariff Act of 1922. Schedule 2—Earths, Earthenware, Glassware, etc. Washington, D.D.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1929.
David Levering Lewis, The Stained Glass Window, New York: Penguin Press, 2025, p. 4. This is a family history by Pulitzer Prize winning historian Lewis who was inspired by a 1909 “Motherhood Triptych” stained glass window with his maternal grandmother portrayed as the Madonna placed in Atlanta’s renowned First Congregational Church.
William Serban, Ph.D., has been a member of the SGAA since 1976, He is an indexer of the Stained Glass Quarterly and co-editor of Stained Glass: A Guide to Information Sources (1980). He was also chairperson of the Political Science Department at Xavier University in New Orleans, La.
