Foy & Gibson - Mail Order, Aussie style!

Mail Order – we are familiar with the appearance of Carnival Glass in USA catalogues such as Sears and, of course, Butler Brothers. Check out our feature articles about the importance of selling by Mail Order in "Sell it to me!".

There was no need to travel to a store, all you have to do is select your goods, pay and they will be delivered to you. As a way of selling it has transformed every day life for generations, but when did it start? You might be surprised to learn that the first catalogue was produced in Venice in 1498, to sell books. In Britain the first Mail Order catalogue emerged in the 1800s using the recently established national postal service, while in the USA Tiffany started a Mail Order catalogue for jewellery in 1845. Montgomery Ward and Sears soon followed; Mail Order was big business and it revolutionised shopping forever.

But what of other countries? Let’s turn to Australia for some surprises … 

The retail trade in Australia was arguably dominated by Anthony Hordern & Sons, based in Sydney.

They sold almost everything, from furniture to agricultural machinery, fashion and haberdashery, and even cooking supplies for good measure.

From the late 1800s, Hordern’s produced annual mail order catalogues, aimed at the huge rural market, enabling those living in the more distant communities to purchase their goods too.

Outside Sydney Central Station - this picture of three large Motor Lorries containing 12 tons of Mail Order Catalogues, gives an idea of the vastness of Anthony Horderns’ Country trade. 
From The Hordernian Monthly, special “Australia’s 150th Anniversary Number” January 1938.

Another major retailer in Australia was Foy & Gibson, which was originally Mark Foy’s.

​Mail Order was also their speciality, in fact in their 1901 furniture catalogue, they claimed that they could “supply the front door mat, back door mat and every item of home furnishing in between”.

​Foy & Gibson catalogue, 1931.
Courtesy of The University of Melbourne Library

Naturally, Foy & Gibson sold products that were imported from all around the world. Glassware was no exception - their catalogues included fascinating sections that were devoted to glassware. On the right is a full page ad from 1924 for Heisey glass. Image courtesy of The University of Melbourne Library.

Note: it was crystal glass, not Carnival (in fact Heisey did not actually make Carnival). However, and here’s the very interesting bit … Foy & Gibson also sold Carnival Glass ... items that were both imported, and also made by Crown Crystal in Australia.

The inclusion of imported Carnival is not a surprise, as we have unearthed many other examples. Perhaps the most fascinating was our research into "The King of China" (a store owner called Reub Levy). He imported huge amounts of Imperial Carnival from the USA: in 1920 an ad appeared under a byline: 
‘Sunkist’ Table Glassware - an American production of extraordinary beauty and quality.

Read all about Reub here: The King of China

Another interesting example is a 1923 Bushell’s catalogue which offered a wide range of Carnival made in the USA by Fenton, offered as "premiums" for buying their tea. Bushell's offer included master bowls in the Two Flowers, Little Fishes and Panther patterns, regular bowls in the Holly, Vintage and Leaf Chain patterns, and a Leaf Chain plate.

We feature it as part of our unique article on the use of trading stamps to market and sell Carnival around the world, here: Stamp of Approval.

Foy & Gibson's 1923 catalogue offered marigold Carnival Glass items which were also made by Fenton, and their 1924 catalogue included Carnival made by Crown Crystal in Australia, which they described with the marketing term "Aurora Glass".

Foy & Gibson also had their own department stores. As their catalogue showed, customers could get there by taking a ride on the "Red Tram".

Above: Foy & Gibson 1924, courtesy of The University of Melbourne Library

​Foy & Gibson 1923. Fenton Carnival is on offer.
Click on the image above to see it full sized, or here: Foy & Gibson 1923

​Foy & Gibson 1924 - Crown Crystal Carnival is on offer, more of which below.
Courtesy of The University of Melbourne Library

---

Shown in more detail from the 1924 catalogue, is Item 16313 –"Aurora Glass. Fruit Salad Set, golden colour, Australian made: large bowl, measuring 8½in. across, 6 smaller bowls to match. 12/6 set." This is, of course, Crown Crystal’s Kingfisher full berry set in marigold. The master bowl is shown on the right in Crown Crystal's other "signature" colour, dark Carnival (also called black amethyst).

Also shown were two other Crown Crystal items that we know were made in Carnival, although there is no indication of the colour shown in the catalogue. We feel sure these are plain on the top and the “Broken Chain” design is on the underside. Note how these shapes are described in Foy’s catalogue: the salver is called a “Sandwich Dish” and the comport is called a “Crumpet Comport”.

Kingfisher 9 inch bowl in dark, Crown Crystal

There are more fantastic Foy & Gibson ads here: "Aurora": worldwide marketing speak for iridescent glass.

Back to Sell it to me! homepage.

Read more about the development of the Kookaburra - Kingfisher patterns, and their variations.