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reference book updates
Section IIFerson’s Yesterday’s Milk Glass Today1. (Opaque News – September 2003): Plate 97, Birds in
Kerchief: Once again, we have to thank Siegmar Geiselberger, our member in
Germany, for providing information about the Birds in Kerchief covered
dish. This piece is notably absent from the standard milk glass literature,
except of course for our bible, the Fersons' Yesterday's Milk Glass Today.
They list it as item number 92, illustrated on page 27, together with many other
rarities on that page all of which, I believe, were from the Rush Pinkston
collection. 2. (Opaque News - March 2001): Plate 95 Horse on Tub (Pferdodose, oval): Von Streit. Commenting on this horse (shown on a tub base), the Fersons observed that it is "moulded in finer detail than the McKee Horse," and adding "Although a cow is found on the same [tub] base, we know nothing about the source of either" (p. 28). As you can see from the catalog listing, the Von Streit Horse ("Pferdedose") was sold on a basket base with a flared woven reed edge. Because the catalog nowhere shows it on a tub base, we assume the Horse on a tub base may be a marriage, and not particularly apt. 3. (Opaque News - April 1986): Plate 96 Swan & Plate 101 Hen: Here are some answers from Anne Cook. I have a book entitled English and Irish Glass by Geoffrey Wills (c1968) which shows "a group of press–moulded wares, mostly made by Sowerby’s of Gateshead, circa 1880." The plate shows four baskets and four covered animals in white, blue, and black milk glass. The swan (F–96) and smallest hen (F–101) appear in the Ferson’s book. It is difficult to tell if the larger hen in this illustration is identical to F–107, although the basketweave base with the flared scalloped rim looks the same. In looking at these animals, I am tempted to draw the conclusion that the flared rim basketweave base is the feature by which one could identify English products. Lee’s Victorian Glass, Plate 111, shows a dove with the same flared scalloped edge basketweave base. I have a page from Raymond Notley’s Carnival Glass which pictures a hen and swan. He attributes these to Sowerby and he states that Sowerby used many Victorian molds for their Carnival. Presumable, if these molds were Victorian, they were originally used to produce animals in the types of glass being mixed during that period, including milk glass. However, I have never seen or heard of these forms in milk glass and in fact, they are scarce in Carnival. It’s interesting to note though that the rims of the bases are flared. I do not have any information tying the cow–on–tub or horse–on–tub to any English maker, but I believe there is somewhat of a connection to Vallerysthal. 4. (Opaque News - March 2001): Plate 96 Swan (Schwandose, oval): This figural Swan with a covered back is shown in Ferson and said to be 1¾" long. I wonder whether that measurement might be a misprint, because the catalog shows this swan in only two sizes: the smaller one (No. 1755) at 80 mm (about 3 1/8 inches) and a much larger one (No. 1690) at 150 mm (about 6 inches). 5. (Opaque News – September 2003): Plate 97, Birds in Kerchief CD: The maker of this intriguing piece is Riihimaen Lasi Oy, a glassworks in Riihimaki, Finland. The item is shown on page 35 in the company’s catalog, dated 1939, and is assigned the number 5652. 6. (Opaque News - March 2001): Plate 98 Cow on Round Tub Covered Dish (Kuhdose, rund): von Streit. Another rare item, and again shown only in Ferson, it measures slightly over two inches in diameter. Assuredly a price for any collector of children’s toy glass. 7. (Opaque News March 2001): Plate 104 Dog (Hundekopf, rund): The rarity of this Dog Head covered dish ("Hundekopf") is evident as it is shown only in Ferson. It appears that this particular Von Streit catalog may have been a working copy actually used by the staff in the company offices. I say this because many pages have handwritten notations or marks. A few items, for example, have had their printed catalog numbers crossed out and new numbers written in, as seen in two of the Cow covered dishes shown below. Some items have a large "X" mark alongside them, and others -- like the Dog Head -- have a slash line running through them, perhaps to signal items to be discontinued. 8. (Opaque News - March 2001): Plate 105 & 107 Duck & Hen: Set on a basket base with flared woven reed edge, the Cow top is the same as the one seen above on a tub base. This basket base appears to be Von Streit’s common type for other animals as well, such as the Horse shown above. And though not included in this article, the catalog does show the Duck and Hen covered dishes pictured in Fersons’ items 105 and 107, both of which can be updated as know products of this German company. 9. (Opaque News - March 2001): Plate 110 Cow on Tub Covered Dish (Kuhdose, oval): This 5½ inch oval Cow on a Tub Base can pose a real problem for beginning collectors because of the abundantly available Asian reproductions which have been around for a long time in clear, in depression glass pink and blue, and in opaque. I suspect the Fersons may be alluding to these copies in their statement: "Although the cow is also occasionally available in clear colors, a light sapphire and a pale pink, these demonstrate subtle differences in mold detail from the milk white version, particularly in the tops" (p. 31). It is also possible that this von Streit cow top was used as the model for L. G. Wright’s #80-3 five inch cow, set on Wright’s usual basket weave base. According to Measell and Roetteis (The L. G. Wright Glass Company, p. 75), the moulds for the Cow top and the Duck on flange base were made for Wright by Boston in the same year, 1961. This might lend further support to the belief that the von Streit cow and duck served as the models for Wright’s copies. 10. (Opaque News December 1993): Plate 115: Long-time readers of Opaque News will recall reading about Buzz Petkovsek's great find of a rare Alligator top for a covered dish at a flea market for $2.00! A photo of it was printed in the March 1988 issue of Opaque News.
Frances Price now reports some additional information concerning this animal cover from correspondence she has had with Mr. Petkovsek. This "update" also concerns other animals, such as the "Frog on Reed Base Covered Dish" shown in Ferson's #115, where it is said to be "one of about seven" other tops, including an Alligator, a Hen, a Turtle and a Moses, all "found on this same reed base." The maker of this series has not been identified. Now, to what is known thus far, Frances Price relates the following additional information for your reference book "update": (1) The other two animals, from among the seven referred to by the Fersons, are a Rabbit and a Bear. (2) It is believed that the Turtle might possibly be the one used by L.G. Wright from an original mold or a copy of it. (3) The Moses is not the same as the McKee or the one described by Helen Storey (see Opaque News, Dec. 1988.) (4) The reed bases have fine stippling in between the rushes, and as noted in Ferson, all of them in this series measure 53/8" long. The bottoms are plain, and the reeds and grasses on the sides are similar to the Flaccus pieces and to the Coudersport bases for the "Rush Hens." (5) Also, like the Flaccus animals, the seven in this series all have domed lids. They measure 45/8" long and 21/8" wide, much narrower than the Flaccus pieces which measure from 2½" to 3" wide. (6) Animals in this series have been found in milk white, clear blue, amber and very likely were made in other colors. . . Opaque News - March 1994 supplemental information: In the December (1993) issue of Opaque News, member Frances Price provided us with an update on a series of "about seven" covered dishes mentioned by Ferson in connection with a Frog on Reed Base (F-115). Faye Crider now tells us there are a total of eight known tops in this series - seven animals plus a Moses. If you are making marginal notes in your copy of Ferson, or keeping an on-going "update file", you should add a Swan to the other six animal covers in this series, viz., Alligator, Bear with Fish, Rabbit in Wheat Patch, Frog, Hen and Turtle. 11. (Unpublished): Plate 155C, Belknap, Plate 77, and Millard, plate 130 Bellflower Syrup: Reference American Pressed Glass and Figure Bottles by Albert Christian Revi. Mr. Revi attributes this pattern to Bryce, McKee, and Company circa 1865. It was originally called "R.L." pattern. The pattern was later produced by McKee & Brothers. Two McKee & Brothers advertising illustrations on page 236 seem to bear this out. However, in Jenks & Luna’s Early American Pattern Glass 1850-1910, they also attribute this pattern to the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company in the 1840’s. Readers might want to annotate their reference books with these companies as possible makers (Boston & Sandwich; Bryce, McKee, and Company; & McKee & Brothers). 12. (Opaque News - December 1994): Plates 181 Three Bees Matchholder: This attractive piece is also listed frequently as a toothpick. Heacock, in 1000 Toothpick Holders, calls it "Bees-on-a- Basket" and lists it in six separate entries: three show it with a handle like the example illustrated in Ferson; the other three with no handle. Using characteristic colors as a clue, Heacock attributes some of these to Northwood (ca. 1898). The English company Sowerby made a similar piece, but fitted with two handles. You will find it shown as item 1213 on page 3 of the Sowerby Pattern Book IX (reprinted in the March 1994 Issue of Opaque News). Mr. Bateman remarks, "Not identical, but perhaps too similar to be merely a coincidence that two companies thousands of miles apart would decide to make match holders with three bees as the pattern." Sowerby's may pre-date Northwood's version, as it registered its Three Bees pattern on 22 March 1877. 13. (Opaque News – December 2004): Plate 190 Hen on Rush Base: This version can be attributed to Atterbury Glass Company. Don’t forget there are two versions of this duck. The one with the grass and cattails is still not attributed to any maker. See Robert Friedrich’s article, More Atterbury Opal Ware. 14. (Opaque News - December 1994): Plate 203 Punch and Judy Mug: This piece does not carry a trade or registration mark but has been definitely attributed to Henry Greener & Co., Sunderland, probably dating from the 1880s. Made from a two-part mould, the handle of this attractive mug has a series of vertical ribs with a flower pressed at the top. Other companies, notably John Derbyshire, also produced paperweights and other novelties featuring the popular Punch and Judy puppet characters. 15. (Opaque News - December 1994): Plate 204, Fish Pitcher: This interesting milk jug is part of a table set that includes an open sugar, a creamer, and a covered butter dish, as well as another milk pitcher similar to the one shown in Ferson but without a turned-out spout. These pieces are all illustrated in Raymond Slack, English Pressed Glass, 1830-1900, pp. 104-5). The maker is W. H. Heppell & Co., New Castle-on-Tyne, and the fish designs were registered on Nov. 24, 1882. The large pitchers are also found in purple marble. Fish dishes, pickles, and large trays, besides pitchers and mugs, were also popular among domestic makers during the same period, notably Atterbury. See Ferson 328 and 341, and the Atterbury catalog page illustrations in Ferson 332B, 337C, and 341 B. 16. (Opaque News - December 1994): Plate 205, Grape Compote: This compote, attributed to Henry Greener & Co., is one of several other Greener items that feature this grape pattern. A large plate with open-work border and a pattern in high relief of four large clusters of grapes and leaves on its face was registered July23, 1876. 17. (Opaque News - June 1994): Plates 206 and 207 Other items, like the "Medallion Creamer and Thistle, Rose, and Shamrock Creamer" shown in Ferson 206 and 207 commemorating Disraeli, and similar ones for Gladstone, are also products of Henry Greener and Co., usually found embossed with one of two different figures of a lion rampant which that company devised as its trade marks. 18. (Opaque News - December 1994): Plate 206 Medallion Creamer and Plate 207 Thistle, Rose, and Shamrock Creamer: Both of these items, well described in Ferson, are also products of Henry Greener. The figure inside the medallion (Ferson 206) is the Prime Minister William Gladstone, issued in 1880 to commemorate his second administration. The same creamer, registered a few years earlier on Aug. 31, 1878, was embossed with the likeness of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield. Matching sugar bowls were also made to celebrate these prominent historical figures. The other creamer (Ferson 207), also by Greener, lacks a cameo but carries the same symbolic floral elements: the Rose of England; Thistle of Scotland; and Shamrock of Ireland. 19. (Opaque News - Sep 2002): Plate 278, Sheaf of Wheat Pitcher: The Fersons speculated this pattern may have been designed and sold by Hobbs, Brockunier Company as a companion pattern to the traditional paneled wheat. At the 2002 NMGCS convention, I purchased a modest sized tray with this beautiful pattern embossed on the inside of the tray. However, when turning the tray over the backside of the tray is embossed with the traditional paneled wheat pattern. So, F-278, is definitely Hobbs, Brockunier. I believe they must have added the beautiful shock of wheat to selected larger items in the pattern. 20. (Opaque News - March 1997): Plate 288 and Belknap Plate 229 Pressed Threaded Covered Sugar: This piece should be identified as to its maker and proper name. Ferson apparently adopted Belknap's designation, but overlooked the illustration of this covered sugar in the 1881 Atterbury catalog (reprinted as Ferson 337B). Both Belknap and Ferson should be corrected to reflect the maker as Atterbury and the proper name as "Reeded" pattern. 21. (Opaque News- March 1993 - Did Westmoreland Make Opaque Glass in the 19th Century). . . "Let's consider some of Westmoreland's tableware. The Elite line was introduced in January 1896; the Waverley in January 1897; and the Westmoreland in January 1898. While these were very popular lines at the time, with more than 50 items in each pattern, none of them, I believe, can be found today in opal. But two early 20th-century lines can be; namely Star and Daisy (January 1902). These two are pictured in opal in Belknap, Plate 131 and Ferson Plates 289, 290, and 291). Incidentally, the stars are pressed - not cut, as Millard apparently mistakenly believed (Opaque Glass, Plate #87)." Annotate Belknap, Ferson, and Millard to show Westmoreland as the maker. 22. (Opaque News - June 1994): Plates 315 and 316 Marquis and Marchioness Sweetmeat and Creamer (also shown in Belknap, Plate 92) This is one of several pieces, bearing the likeness of the Marquis of Lorne and Princess Louise, which include a sugar, spooner, and butter dish, as well as a sweetmeat. The latter together with the creamer is illustrated in Ferson 315 and 316 where full details are also given concerning the occasion for the production of these pieces commemorating the appointment of the Marquis as Governor General of Canada in 1878. Belknap and Ferson do not indicate that the pieces were produced by Henry Greener and Co., Sunderland. 23. (Opaque News - December 1994): Plates 315 and 316 Marquis and Marchioness Sweetmeat and Creamer: These items have already been identified as Greener products in a previous Update column (see the June 1994 issue of Opaque News). Mr. Bateman adds one further observation, however, regarding the pieces illustrated in Ferson, item 315, pictured with a matching creamer 316, is perhaps not a candy dish but an open sugar bowl, fitted with a cover that is actually the lid for a matching butter dish. 24. (Unpublished): Plate 343 Basketweave Compote, Belknap, Plate 111; Millard, Plate 121; and Newbound, Plate 100: All the compotes except for Newbound plate are missing the lid shown in the 1881 Atterbury Catalog (Ferson 337A). 25. (Unpublished): Plate 395 Fort Necessity Plate and Millard, Plate 28 Lacy Edge Indian. Both these plates bear the inscription "Fort Necessity" so collectors should know there are at least two versions of plates commemorating the designation of Fort Necessity as a National Battlefield Shrine. 26. (Opaque News – June 2005): Plates 405 & 407, Salmon and Sardine Covered Dishes: Ferson states in the write-up for these two pieces: "Although the bases of this pair of packer’s containers are not signed, the general consensus among collectors is that they are of the Flaccus group. The opinion is substantiated by the detailed mold work, especially on the base, and by the size and shape, which render them interchangeable with certain of the Flaccus signed pieces. Recently the pictures base was seen in a collection owned by a descendant of the Flaccus family, but the cover was the head of a fox with its teeth clamped on a goose [93]. The pieces, as pictured, embossed either Salmon or Sardines, are also found with crescent shaped bone dishes of matching design, suggesting that they were available in sets. A third variant is embossed with the same fish but does not name them. 6" long. Hard to find." Now the plot thickens. In the China, Glass and Lamps, Feb. 12, 1896 is an article discussing Ball, Dieters & Crawl of Wellsburg, W. VA: "Messrs. Ball, Dieters & Crawl, who recently purchased the Boyd & Dyers property at Wellsburg and converted it into a factory, now have a first class place. The building has been thoroughly overhauled and enlarged. The ear which is just completed is considered one of the best in the country. It is not as heavy and clumsy as most leers and can easily be operated by one boy. With this leer they expect to save 60 per cent in fuel. It is claimed that it will anneal and fire as much glass as can be fired with twelve kilns; that owing to the manner of construction it is entirely free from sulfur and will not streak or darken the glass, like is frequently done in the burning. This new firm will turn out a line of crystal and opal glassware with decorations consisting of ground laid, printing, hard work, tracing, etc. They are working on a line of hand lamps, night lamps, sewing lamps, salts, molasses can and three different toilet bottles, most of which are made in entirely new shapes. A new shaped night lamp is called the "Cuban," and an entirely new shaped that is known a. the "Gomez," both made in opal and beautiful." In the China, Glass & Lamps on May 26, 1897 is the following notice concerning Ball & Crowl (obviously the company had been reorganized): "The new farina dish, salmon dish, sardine dish and pin tray of Ball & Crowl are having quite a nice sale. These goods are made in opal, and they are decorated." Finally, in the China, Glass & Lamps on June 23, 1897 is the last notice to appear in the publication: "Ball & Crowl, the decorators, are doing a nice business in their opal sardine and salmon dishes, bone dishes, banquet globes and other goods, all of which are attractive." It is almost certain that Ball & Crowl decorated the Salmon and Sardine covered dishes and matching bone dishes. We still don’t know who made these beautiful pieces, but we have a starting place. 27. (Opaque News - December 2004): Plate 435 Polar Bear on Lamp Post Bottle: A recent eBay auction of this item showed a picture of the base and the word "DEPOSE" was embossed on the base. That would almost assuredly make this beautiful item French. 28. (Unpublished): Plate 438 Cat in Shoe and Newbound, Plate 423 Puss ‘N Boots Candy Container). In Ruth Ann Grizel’s Book, Westmoreland Glass: Our Children’s Heirlooms, pages 59 & 60 is a description and pictures of this item. It dates to about 1910 and was made by Westmoreland Specialty Company in four different versions. It was named "Cat in Boot Candy Container." Ferson should be annotated as to the maker and item name and Newbound should be annotated as to the proper item name. 29. (Opaque News - March 1997): Plate 439 Block and Fan Variant Pitcher: This piece apparently was something of a puzzler for the Fersons. In describing the glass, and the manner in which the handle was applied they seem to suggest an early date of production. But the identical pitcher is shown in a brochure of the Indiana Glass Company, where it is called "Star" pattern and assigned the number 7646. (See Grizel (Collector’s Guide to Lesser Known Modern Milk Glass, Photo #7.) The Indiana pitcher is shown with many other matching pieces all dating from the 1970s. Does anyone know whether the pattern was actually created by Indiana Glass, or did the company copy or reproduce earlier productions? 30. (Opaque News – December 2004): Plate 435 Polar Bear on Lamp Post Bottle: A recent eBay auction of this item showed a picture of the base and the word "DEPOSE" was embossed on the base. That would almost assuredly make this beautiful item French. 31. (Opaque News - September 1996): Plate 451 Alligator (?) Toothpick: Our biology professor, James Slater, remarked to Helen Liveten and me the other day that it was curious no one has questioned the true identity of the animal in the novelty piece called Alligator Toothpick. "It most certainly is not an Alligator," Jim said, but having our immediate concurrence, he refrained from giving us his famous Biology 101 lecture. Now Helen and I don't really know what that animal is. This sent me searching, and I think we may confidently trace the misnomer back to 1931 when Ruth Webb Lee, in Early American Pressed Glass (plate 186) illustrated the creature in a line drawing, and called it "Alligator match holder," noting it is found in amber and clear glass. It continued to be the animal so-called by Heacock in 1977 (1000 Toothpick Holders (plate 324) who adds "blue and milk glass" to the colors. In 1981, Ferson continued the Alligator designation (Yesterday's Milk Glass Today, plate 451) and, like others, called attention to what a delicate piece it is, so fragile that when it survives "in good condition is indeed amazing." So much for the standard literature. What about the manufacturers own name for this novelty? Unfortunately, no one has yet been able to determine who produced this piece, but we have found a very early documentation in a circa 1890 Butler Brothers catalog (reprinted in Heacock, Rare and Unlisted Toothpick Holders, p. 89), and here it is again:
It is useless and probably impossible anyway, to change the Alligator and Crocodile designations given to this prized novelty, or to ascertain precisely whether it is a candlestick, toothpick holder, or match safe. But lizard, salamander, or mythological reptile - whatever it is, don't we all wish we had one (at ten cents each)! 32. (Opaque News - March 1993): Plates 521 and 522 Swirl Candlesticks (7¾") and Belknap Plate 33. Belknap did not identify the maker of these candlesticks which he so admired. Ferson does mention "an identical candlestick", called RAY, which is shown in an early McKee catalog) "perhaps thus helping to determine their origins (p. 105). Other glass companies, of course, both foreign and American, have used the "swirl" design which occurs in many variations. I believe some additional support, however, may be added to confirm Ferson's attribution. As is well known, John Kemple acquired and used many of the old McKee molds, including this candlestick. Kemple reproduced it, but with a slight modification; namely, elevating the base by adding three small molded knobs, placed equidistant on the underside. Kemple also issued some of these candlesticks with hand painted floral decorations and this, together with obvious differences between newer and older glass, offers another indicator to distinguish Kemple's from the original McKee. 33. (Unpublished): Plate 524A Crucifix Candlestick. This candlestick was made by Gillinder & Sons. Reference an article by William Heacock entitled Religious Figures in Glass written for the June/July 1987 edition of Glass Collectors Digest. This candlestick appears as Figure 16 in the article. The accompanying text states, "Quite different is this No. 7 candlestick (our Fig. 16) by Gillinder & Sons, listed in crystal and opal. This crucifix appeared in Gillinder ads from 1899 to about 1903. It is much more fancy in design than the others we have featured." 34. (Opaque News June 1999): Plate 543 California Bear Plate: Marg Iwen, in the article cited in the preceding update, states that Canton Glass took first place for its glassware display at the California Mid-winter Exposition in 1894. Ferson remarks that this plate "has been attributed to Canton Glass Company. 9" D. Whatever its origin, it is scarce today" (p. 111). In comparing the size and the club and shell design border of this plate with the Columbus Plate mentioned above, it is a pretty safe assumption to credit Canton Glass Company for this plate as well. 35. (Unpublished): Plate 548, 549 Bryan and McKinley Plates: When I was reading Ferson’s commentary I noticed they placed F-548 and F-549 together under the heading "548, 549 Bryan and McKinley Plates." However the picture of them is in the reverse order. The McKinley Plate is shown first. For accuracy’s sake, the heading should be "548, 549 McKinley and Bryan Plates." 36. (Opaque News - February 1986): Plate 557 & Belknap 184a: Dewey on a Scroll Base: The Fersons in their wonderful book discuss the Flaccus dishes in some detail in several places, pointing out that we still do not know who actually produced these interesting dishes for the various Flaccus companies. To the list of certain and probably pieces discussed by the Fersons can be added the "Dewey on a Battleship Base" (Ferson - Dewey on a Scroll Base (F–557; B–184a) for the July 1951 issue of The Antique Journal lists this for sale and states the "Flaccus label still on". . . 37. (Opaque News - December 1994): Plates 558 & 562 Cleopatra’s Needle Obelisks: These ornamental paperweights have not been attributed with any certainty, but it appears they can be claimed on both sides of the Atlantic. As noted by Bessie Lindsey (American Historical Glass, p. 508) large obelisks, nearly 70 feet high, were presented as gifts of the Egyptian government... "In 1877, one was presented to England and another to the United States, by the Khedive of Egypt, Ismail Pasha." Hence, the Fersons have good reason to associate the replica to the obelisk erected in New York City's Central Park in 1881. The gift inspired American glassmakers to create Egyptian patterns on other items also, notably a bread tray, in the late 1870s. The gift of an obelisk, however, may have no less inspired glassmakers in England, where its Cleopatra's Needle was installed on the Embankment of the Thames River in September 1878. Raymond Slack, echoing it seems Colin Lattimore (English 19th-Century Pressed-Moulded Glass, pp. 146-7) states that "a similar model was made as a pomade jar and registered 13 October, 1879, by G. V. de Luca, a firm of merchants' agents in London" (p. 112). And just like our American glassmakers, English companies seem to have been equally inspired to fashion pieces with Egyptian motifs, notably several versions of the famed Sphinx, for example. So, where were these Cleopatra's Needle obelisks made? Mr. Bateman says "they do not look or feel English to me." My own impression is that they do. Besides, the two in my collection I acquired in England, and I saw several others there as well that I did not buy. On my searches in this country, however, I have never encountered a single one - though admittedly that is dubious proof about their origin. In any case, finding one without some damage is not easy on either side of the Atlantic. Amusingly, Mr. Bateman suggest that a student of Egyptian hieroglyphics might just be able to discover the maker's name concealed within the many signs and symbols embossed on the sides of the obelisk. 38. (Opaque News - March 1993): Plate 571 Liberty Bell Platter (Shell handle, 11¼"); Plate 572 & Belknap, Plate 51b Twig handle, 13 3/8": The maker of these platters has not been identified with certainty until recently. Ferson believed the smaller one (shell handle) was "possibly a product of the La Belle Glass Company of Bridgeport, Ohio" on the basis of that company's "using the shell rather freely in its designs" (p. 117). The larger version, with the twig handle, Ferson suggests may "possibly have been made by Gillinder and Sons." The curator of American Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass, Jane Shadel Spillman, has published her discovery that Adams and Co., Pittsburgh, was the maker of the "Liberty Bell" pattern. See her article "Adams and Company: A Closer Look" in the National Early American Glass Club Bulletin (Winter 1990-1991). Ms. Spillman found the platter described in an Adams catalog dating from 1871-72 where it is part of what was called "Independence Centennial Ware", created for the 1876 celebrations. 39. (Opaque News - March 1997): Plate 619 and Newbound-142 Fox On Lacy Base: We need to remove Imperial as one of the named makers of this Fox. Both Newbound and Ferson are incorrect in stating that Imperial made such a piece. The one illustrated in Ferson (619) is either an original Atterbury or the Westmoreland reproduction. Although Kemple also made this fox, it was set on a basket weave base only, never on a lacy base. Having subtracted one maker, we should now add another. Last November, Bart attended a flea market and antique show in Xenia, Ohio, where he saw the Fox cover on a basket weave base made in red/orange/yellow slag. Whose could it be, he wondered, but the answer was ready at hand - both the top and bottom were marked with Fenton's script capital F. As reported in an update in Opaque News (Dec. 1994), Frank Fenton stated his company began using the letter F in a vertical oval mark around 1982, and only on molds which he purchased from other companies. This would indicate that Fenton now owns the mold (probably Westmoreland's?/possibly Kemple's?), and that the piece was made sometime after 1982. Can anyone shed more light? 40. (Opaque News: June 1999): Plate 626 Kemple Rooster Covered Dish: Perhaps the minor problem in this entry has been noted previously, but for those whose attention it may not have caught, we should note that the rooster pictured by Ferson in entry #626 clearly has glass eyes, a feature not found on any of the Kemple animals. That fact, indeed, is noted by the Fersons who observe: "...the large Kemple animals all have molded eyes in place of the depressions for inset glass eyes" (p. 152) Therefore, the picture they use was simply an oversight, as the Rooster appears to be Westmoreland’s set on its correct diamond basket weave base, or possibly a Westmoreland Rooster cover "married" to a Kemple diamond basket weave base. 41. (Unpublished): This update originally stemmed from a questioned on why Newbound, Plate 218 (Dewberry Goblet) and Ferson, Plate 627 Blackberry Creamer were the same pattern with different names - since both items were made by Kemple Glass. Mr. Tom O’Connor of Antique Publications was contacted for some clarification. According to Tom, both pattern names are correct. The original Blackberry pattern was designed by Hobbs, Brockunier & Co of Wheeling, West Virginia. They were acquired by Co-Operative Flint Glass Company of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania who ultimately sold their molds to Phoenix Glass Company in 19371. When Phoenix Glass Company ceased operation the molds were acquired by Mr. H. M. Tuska, a private glass jobber. Mr. Tuska sold the molds to Kemple in 19462 (along with the Ivy in the Snow and the Moon and Stars patterns) who began using them and renamed the pattern Dewberry. So whenever you see Kemple items listed as Dewberry or Blackberry, just know that some folks believe them to be the same patterns. However, in Mr. Albert Christian Revi’s book, American Pressed Glass and Figure Bottles, on pages 69 & 70 - under his discussion on the Belmont Glass Company, he states: "The "Dewberry" pattern was designed and patented on April 12, 1870, by Stephen Hipkins, Jr. and assigned to the Belmont Glass Company. The design is so closely related to Hobbs, Brockunier’s "Blackberry" pattern that specimens are probably grouped with this latter ware and have gone unnoticed by the collector..." His chapter on Hobbs, Brockunier & Company, page 186 deals with the patent for "Blackberry" but does not discuss any differences. Based on Mr. Revi’s observations, we believe it may be premature in accepting Mr. O’Connor’s explanation of the difference in Kemple patterns names in Ferson and Newbound. It is entirely possible Dewberry and Blackberry are distinct patterns and John Kemple knew exactly what he was doing when he used both those names. 1Early American Pattern Glass 1850 - 1910 by Bill Jenks and Jerry Luna, page 68. 2Kemple Glass Works 1945 - 1970 by Grace Allison, page 7 Back to Top |
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