Washington Art Glass Studio was founded in 1924 by my grandfather, Leonard Boertlein. Leonard was a young German immigrant, from a small town outside of Munich who made his way through Ellis Island just after the turn of the century. He settled in Pennsylvania, where he spent 12 years honing his skills with several different studios. In 1923 he moved to Washington, D.C. Shortly thereafter he opened the doors of Washington Art Glass Studio, our small family-run studio thrived, producing both beautiful and functional glasswork.