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The large Muller family originated from Kalhauzen and rested on a long tradition of glass workers. When the German Empired annexed the Elsace in 1871, the Muller family fled (9 brothers and 1 sister) to the quieter Lunéville. The two oldest brothers, Désiré and Eugène Muller, ended up in the glassworks of Emile Gallé, where they learned how to produce art glass (± 1885). The other family members found work in several other glassworks in the surroundings of Lunéville and developed into recognised glassdecorators. Moreover Henri, Pierre and Victor Muller also ended up working for Gallé. |
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Around 1895 the time seemed ripe for Henri Muller to set up an independent glass workshop in Lunéville (rue the Sainte Anne). His brothers reacted enthusiastically and soon joined him, as a result of which the Muller Frères glassworks became a fact. The Mullers mastered all well-known glass decorating techniques and always experimented with new methods. They developed rapidly into a renowned company and established their name for their large diversity and quality (colour setting, decoration and design of their vases and lamps). |
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During the beginning of the 20th century they made multiple luxuriously glass objects in the art nouveau style and also provided some designs (Henri and Eugène Muller were responsable for some 144 designs in the years 1904 -1906) for the Belgian "Cristallerie de Val Saint-Lambert" where Georges Deprez was the general director. Their work can be compared in style and quality with Daum. |
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During the first World War the Muller Frères glassworks closed its doors and the family members spread out over France, working for different glassworks (for instance Camille, Jean and Auguste went to "Landier Et Houdaille" in Sèvres and Émile worked at Choisi-Le-Roi). Unfortunately Eugène died in the war, but that didn’t hold back the remaining brothers to start again after the war. They bought the factory "Hinzelin" in Lunéville and started commercial production of chandaliers and wallbrackets. In this period they designed a typical Art Deco line, where decorations of animals and landscapes were striking beautiful. After crash on the New York stock exchange in America business went down for the Muller Frères and in 1936 they definitively closed their glassworks. |
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