NetworK ezine Issue 114. November 2024
Totally Devoted to Carnival Glass
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A warm welcome to our November NetworK. We are delighted to share our exciting news with you: the much-anticipated Part Two of our “Carnival Glass From Europe” Encyclopedia and Pattern Guide is about to be released!
During the five years since we published the 2019 First Edition of our “Carnival Glass From Europe” Encyclopedia, we have continued our in-depth, forensic research and constant vigilant investigation into Carnival Glass made in Europe. Our new Part Two contains a wealth of fresh discoveries and previously unseen pieces of European Carnival, as well as the very latest, ‘up-to-the-minute’ information on a huge range of patterns. A unique bonus in the eBook is the in-depth Sowerby Carnival Supplement. We will reveal all in an upcoming NetworK Special which will include a priority, reduced price purchase offer for all our NetworK subscribers. Look out for the NetworK Special in your in-boxes very soon. Oh, Louisa! Please don’t tease
This delightful little bon bon dish was shown in our Facebook NetworK group recently. The question being asked was: is it Jeannette’s Floragold or Westmoreland’s Louisa. 
Floragold or Louisa? Picture courtesy and copyright Angel VanDyk.
Let’s look at both makers' production of this pattern to search out the correct answer.
Westmoreland 
Above: a 1909 Butler Brothers ad for a Westmoreland Carnival Assortment. Smooth Rays, Pearly Dots, Corinth items, as well as Louisa.
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Above, left: Louisa rose bowl shown in Butler Bros 1911 catalogue.
Right: a Louisa rose bowl in teal, courtesy Seeck Auctions. The 1909 ad shown on the left is an interesting one in many ways, showing that Westmoreland were producing iridescent glass in the early years of Classic Carnival production. Louisa is shown in the low candy dish/”plate” form in the centre of the bottom row - the three motifs in the centre of the base are actually the three feet showing through. The descriptive term “paneled patterns” could apply to some others in the array of Westmoreland items shown, but “Floral” would have been a more accurate term for the Louisa piece. Probably the most familiar form of Westmoreland’s Louisa is the rose bowl, that is found mainly in marigold, teal, amethyst and amber (plus a few off-beat shades). Nut bowls are also known, as are the candy dishes and “plates” – all being formed initially from the same mould, and shaped differently after removal. The pattern was named “Louisa” by Hartung in the 1960s, while Chas West Wilson refers to it as “Paneled Pattern” because that is how it was described in Butler Brothers ads from 1909 and 1910. Rose Presznick called it Irish Lace and in parenthesis she added Louisa and Lacy Frills - so many names! |
Jeannette
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Jeannette brought in several lines of what they termed “Golden Iridescent” glass. Among those first patterns was the familiar Iris and Herringbone (OMN Iris) in iridised glass. Just a few years later, Jeannette introduced the Floragold pattern line in what they called Amberglo (iridescent Carnival). This was clearly inspired by Westmoreland’s Louisa pattern, but the shapes (except for one very important exception) were very different than the Classic Westmoreland original.
Jeannette
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Jeannette brought in several lines of what they termed “Golden Iridescent” glass. Among those first patterns was the familiar Iris and Herringbone (OMN Iris) in iridised glass. Just a few years later, Jeannette introduced the Floragold pattern line in what they called Amberglo (iridescent Carnival). This was clearly inspired by Westmoreland’s Louisa pattern, but the shapes (except for one very important exception) were very different than the Classic Westmoreland original.
Above: illustration from Jeannette’s catalogue 157, courtesy Glass Paper Fanatics.
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In addition to the pieces shown above, other shapes included the water pitcher and square footed tumblers, bowl and plate (all the aforementioned can be seen on our website in a Jeannette catalogue page extract – link below). Platters, more bowls and a tray, candlesticks, fruit dish and a salt & pepper set were also illustrated in iridescent Floragold in Jeannette’s catalogue 157. The Bon Bon shape Almost all the Floragold items are easily identified as Jeannette. But there is one exception that can cause confusion – the “footed nut-candy dish”, which, unlike most of the 1960s Jeannette items, has little feet. Here on the right is an illustration from Jeannette’s catalogue 157 (courtesy Glass Paper Fanatics). At first glance, Jeannette's tiny oval, footed nut-candy dish could be mistaken for an older piece made by Westmoreland. |
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Now look at the seldom-seen, original Westmoreland bon bon shown below and made in the Classic Carnival era over a century ago. This is a catalogue image of Westmoreland No. 100 Bon Bon (OMN) c. 1905. Courtesy Sid Lethbridge.The feet are clearly different to Jeannette's Floragold; the Westmoreland original has longer and slightly curved scroll feet.
But if you only had one example in your hands, it could be difficult to determine what you have, if the item is marigold, as they are of a similar size and both have feet. 
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Above: the Westmoreland Louisa bon bon, showing the interior pattern.
Courtesy Angel VanDyk. |
Here’s the trick!
On Jeannette's Floragold bon bon from the 1960s, the moulded pattern is on the OUTSIDE of the piece.
However, on the Classic, old Westmoreland bon bon, the Louisa floral pattern is on the INSIDE.
(Note that the other Classic Westmoreland Louisa shapes like the rose bowl, nut bowl etc., have the pattern on the outside, but on the little bon bon, the pattern is on the inside).
Having started in 1898 as a bottle plant, table glassware soon became Jeannette's staple output. Subsequently, The Jeannette Glass Company became one of the major manufacturers of Late / Depression Era Carnival. We have the full story of Jeannette Glass on our website, here: The Story of Jeannette Glass
On Jeannette's Floragold bon bon from the 1960s, the moulded pattern is on the OUTSIDE of the piece.
However, on the Classic, old Westmoreland bon bon, the Louisa floral pattern is on the INSIDE.
(Note that the other Classic Westmoreland Louisa shapes like the rose bowl, nut bowl etc., have the pattern on the outside, but on the little bon bon, the pattern is on the inside).
Having started in 1898 as a bottle plant, table glassware soon became Jeannette's staple output. Subsequently, The Jeannette Glass Company became one of the major manufacturers of Late / Depression Era Carnival. We have the full story of Jeannette Glass on our website, here: The Story of Jeannette Glass
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The Magic of Iridescence
Iridescence is the heart and soul of Carnival. If the glass isn’t iridised then of course, it cannot be Carnival. But how did the glass become iridised? Which workers in the glass factories were involved? And how did the magic happen? To figure out some of the answers, let’s take a deep breath and dive into a massive tome of Glass Union Rules and Regulations. The title page is shown here – the “Wage and Move List and Rules and Regulations of the Pressed Ware Department” - a massive 840 page volume, published in 1921. 
To figure out some of the answers, let’s take a deep breath and dive into a massive tome of Glass Union Rules and Regulations. The title page is shown here – the “Wage and Move List and Rules and Regulations of the Pressed Ware Department” - a massive 840 page volume, published in 1921. The rules and regulations to be followed in glassworks were set out; they were exceptionally precise, detailed, forensically comprehensive, and absolutely specific. They stated the amounts to be paid to all the various workers, according to their roles, their time on each job, the number of pieces made (called a “move”) during a specified length of time (called a “turn”) and a myriad of other variables.
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An astonishing variety of Imperial Scroll Embossed plates. The iridescence is different on each one, presenting a kaleidoscope of shimmering beauty. Courtesy and copyright Mary Kaiser.
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Suffice it to say … it was complicated! However, inside this 1921 publication is a gem that captivated us; the section on “Doped Ware”; "dope" being the name for the iridescent spray used to create the iridescence on Carnival Glass. In 1911, precedent had been set by the Unions after a pay dispute and subsequent agreement (regarding Doped Ware) between workers and management at the Northwood glass works. The 1911 “American Flint” journal explained that “after considerable controversy, it was agreed that all employers making pressed sprayed or doped wares shall comply with the agreement made at our annual conferences in 1911”. This agreement was made more explicit in 1915, and in the 1921 publication we see it set out clearly in the Union’s official Rules. 
Glass Factory Boys, c. 1908. "The Ball Team", composed mainly of glass workers, Indiana. Photo taken by Lewis Wickes Hine.
Source: US Library of Congress. |
Above: extract of “Wage and Move List Rules and Regulations” 1915,
as recorded in 1921 by the American Flint Glass Workers Union. |
It’s clear that the management were held responsible for maintaining the iridising spray equipment in good working order – and if the quality of the iridising spray was not good enough and subsequently some glass items were not as they should be, the workers would still be fully paid for the job. This is interesting, as it probably explains why some lesser quality pieces (in terms of their iridescent appearance) were let out of the factory to be sold. The company had had to pay the workers for them despite their inferior quality. And note that if the spray was out of order, the workers carried on producing the glass (and being paid), but the glass was not iridised. That probably explains why we sometimes see scarce, uniridised examples of familiar Carnival patterns.
Clearly set out in the rules is the reference to the workers who actually sprayed the glass with the dope. Boys! “The boys shall dope all wares except punch bowls, and then only when it is evident that the boys are unable to properly handle punch bowls.” So, the boys sprayed the hot glass with the iridising solution that turned it into Carnival. The only time they were not doing the iridising was if the items were too big and heavy for them to carry (specifically, the large punch bowls). Boys were also part of the team (called a “shop”) who warmed the glass items in the glory hole, prior to being sprayed with iridescence. The “boys” were mainly the under-sixteens and some just over that age, although some older unskilled workers were also included in the “boy” category.
So, the boys / unskilled workers were responsible for iridising Carnival Glass. There was no careful and laborious, selective application of the spray. It was mainly done by young lads. And a pretty dangerous and unpleasant job it must have been too – but it was not considered to require much in the way of skill. Nobody painstakingly “painted” on the iridescence. It was a repetitive, quick and simple "point and shoot" action – spray the hot glass with the dope – job done! Having said that, we know that some items were sprayed more than once to create different iridescent effects.
How then, did the magic occur? The kaleidoscope of shimmering colours, the nuanced blending of dark and light – what caused these different, mesmerising effects on one piece of Carnival? It’s all down to science - chemistry and physics - and the interplay of three main variables: the spray (its composition and quality), the temperature of the glass when it was sprayed, and the different thickness of the pattern elements on the glass.
The iridising spray was made of a solution of various metallic salts that imparted different colour effects to the glass. The quality of the spray would also have had an effect – with possible dilutions causing altered (or weaker) appearance.
The temperature of the glass itself affected the appearance of the iridescence. One of Harry Northwood's tips was: "Spray on glass very hot for Matt Iridescent and not so hot for Bright Iridescent".
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Then the temperature of different parts of the pattern varied - in particular, thicker parts stayed hotter longer. Take a look at these three pieces of Carnival from different makers.
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A green Millersburg Cherries tumbler. The thickness of the pattern gives different iridescent effects. The cherries are the thickest parts, and are overall golden in colour; the leaves are less thick and the iridescence is a mixed, mottled effect of purples, blues, red and oranges, and the background - the thinnest part - has a more uniform purple/blue colour.
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We discussed the effects of iridescence in detail in NetworK 102. Here is the link: The Magic of Iridescence
Revival Era Cherry (and Lattice): Mosser Glass
1982 Mosser catalogue extract, courtesy Glass Paper Fanatics.
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A Cherry and Lattice butter in purple, made by Mosser. Courtesy Burns Auctions.
As in the catalogue extract left, the water set and table set were reproduced by Mosser in purple Revival Carnival – these are all likely to be iridised on the base. Some Mosser examples (probably not all) are marked with their trademark M (or M inside state of Ohio shape). |
Cherry and Lattice was originally a Northwood pattern from around 1910. It is known in water, table and berry sets – mainly in clear glass, with red stained cherries and gilded edges. It wasn’t made in Carnival by Northwood, so if you come across an iridised example, it is a Revival era example made by Mosser.
On the 1982 Mosser catalogue extract above, you can also see a Grape tumbler that looks remarkably like Imperial Grape. We looked at this item in a previous NetworK here: NetworK #75
Clear (non-iridescent) pieces with the gilding and staining were also reproduced by Mosser, as shown in the top section of the 1988 catalogue extract above. Note the gilding is part way down from the top edge of the items, which is different to the old Northwood items.
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Above: an original Northwood Cherry and Lattice water set, which
is gilded and stained, not Carnival, courtesy Burns Auctions. You can clearly see how the gilding around the top is different to the recent Mosser version. |
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