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History of Visions Cookware
- 1970s: It was developed by Corning France at Avon. Introduced in France (Coroneos). Graham and Schuldiner (p. 376-377): It was brought to market in 1980.
- Late 1970s: According to Dyer & Gross, “Transparent glass ceramics was introduced in France under the trade name Visions." The ware was “at first imported [into the US] from France, but by 1985, it was being made in Martinsburg."
- 1981: Won an award in France for one of the 20 best consumer products; marketed in the US through the Corning Designs Organization (Corning Glass Works Annual Report).
- 1981: According to Coreonos, the name "Visions" first appeared in the United States in 1981, through sales tests administered by Imoco. Corning also tested its new glass-ceramic cookware through the company LeClair.
- 1983: CGW Annual Report, p. 35: “Visions was introduced into the domestic market segment” [presumably US and Canada] “late in the year. Early reports indicate a repetition of the success that the line has had in overseas markets.”
- 1984: CGW Annual Report: It was introduced into the US and Canada in 1983.
- 1989: Non-stick surface added.
- 1992: Cranberry color added.
- 1993: Healthy Basics line added.
- 1994: Healthy Basics Versa-Pots line added.
- 1998: Corning Incorporated’s spring 1998 catalog includes Visions, but the Consumer Products Division was sold in 1998.
- 2000: Listed in catalog of World Kitchen, the successor to Corning Incorporated Consumer Products.
- 200?: A website consulted in 2005 says that World Kitchen (the distributor of Visions Cookware) claimed that Visions Cookware had been "totally discontinued."
Trade Catalogs
The Rakow Research Library has dozens of trade catalogs, price lists, and advertisements in its collection that include Visions Cookware, many of which are available online through our catalog.
World Kitchen Media and Design Records
The Rakow Research Library houses the World Kitchen Media and Design Records, a large, unprocessed collection that may contain information about Visions Cookware. As of April 2021, plans were underway to process the collection, so look for updates in the near future!
Books and Articles
You will want to check out the following book, if you haven't already:
- Coroneos, Kyle. The Complete Guide to Corning Ware & Visions Cookware. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2006.
Other books and articles that might interest you:
- Coe, Debbie. “Corning Pyroceram.” All About Glass, v. 6, no. 4 (Jan. 2009), pp. 10-12, ill.
- Coe, Debbie, and Randy Coe. Corning Pyroceram Cookware. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 2009. 160 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 160).
- Dyer, Davis, and Daniel Gross. The Generations of Corning: The Life and times of a global Corporation. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. 507 p. Consult index for references to Visions.
- Graham, Margaret B. W., and Alec T. Shuldiner. Corning and the Craft of Innovation. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. 505 p. The story of Corning's research and development strategy, from light bulbs to optical fiber. Consult index under Visions.
Borrowing Library Materials
If you wish to borrow copies of library items, please contact your local library. The Rakow Research Library will lend designated books from its collection and will send copies of articles requested by other libraries. Your library can request items through the OCLC WorldShare Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system or by direct request by email to ill@cmog.org. For more information, please see our ILL policies and procedures.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with your glass-related questions in the future!
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