NetworK ezine Issue 15. August 2016
Totally Devoted to Carnival Glass
A very warm welcome to the August edition of NetworK – packed full of fresh insights, revelations and entertainment – all about Carnival Glass. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, we’re sure you’ll enjoy the fascinating facts, fun and friendliness that you’ll find in this issue.
Corned Beef, Coffee and … a Comport
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Back in 1908, shoppers at Hechts’ department store on Seventh St. in Washington D.C. who visited after 12.30 p.m. would have been able to purchase the Carnival Glass comport shown below, along with their 1-lb. tins of corned beef, sugar-cured hams, and Onyx coffee.
The ad (which was shown in the July 1908 Washington “Evening Star”) offered buyers “no more than two” of the “New and Handsome Iridescent Art Glass Comports and Sweet Pea Vases in two attractive patterns”. 
Above: Hechts' Department Store ad, 1908
It’s interesting to note the spelling of “comport” (often referred to as “compote” today) and also that the item appears to have been referred to as a “vase” as well. Multi-use meant multi-sales (but the flowers would need fairly short stems!) |
Right: Hechts store in 1908
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The ad prompted the question:
What pattern might be hidden inside the comport? Was there a way of figuring it out? Then we looked at the stem, with its distinctive shape and profile. There’s the clue! That distinctive shape fits these two comports from Fenton - Iris and Vintage. Their distinctive shape and profile made us think about other comports. Are the stems of many others comports so characteristic and individual that it’s possible to figure out what the pattern is by seeing only the stem? |
Fenton comports: Iris, left and Vintage, right.
Courtesy Seeck Auctions.
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Do you recognise these distinctive stems on a variety of comports?
The answers are at the foot of this issue of NetworK, just before the “Feedback” section,
where you’ll also find a link to a fascinating article on our website with images of all of these comports.
where you’ll also find a link to a fascinating article on our website with images of all of these comports.
Oil Cans, Chocolates and … Carnival Glass
Seriously? What on earth could the connection between those three be?
To reveal the answer we first turn back the clock four years, to 2012, when we published our ebooks on Scandinavian Carnival Glass. In “Carnival Glass from Sweden” (© 2012) we were the first to bring the glass machine and mould maker, Fr. Wilhelm Kutzscher, to the attention of the Carnival Glass world. We showed a variety of Carnival patterns that we believed had been made from moulds produced by Kutzscher. Crucially, we also wrote back in 2012 that “it wasn’t only Eda that purchased from Kutzscher; by studying the designs in the mould catalogue we have been able to spot patterns that were made by glass factories in Poland, Finland and other countries in mainland Europe.”
Oil Cans, Chocolates and … Carnival Glass
Seriously? What on earth could the connection between those three be?
To reveal the answer we first turn back the clock four years, to 2012, when we published our ebooks on Scandinavian Carnival Glass. In “Carnival Glass from Sweden” (© 2012) we were the first to bring the glass machine and mould maker, Fr. Wilhelm Kutzscher, to the attention of the Carnival Glass world. We showed a variety of Carnival patterns that we believed had been made from moulds produced by Kutzscher. Crucially, we also wrote back in 2012 that “it wasn’t only Eda that purchased from Kutzscher; by studying the designs in the mould catalogue we have been able to spot patterns that were made by glass factories in Poland, Finland and other countries in mainland Europe.”
Above: Patterns designed by mouldmaker Kutzscher.
Click on the image to read the full fascinating Story Behind The Glass: Kutzcher Designs
Click on the image to read the full fascinating Story Behind The Glass: Kutzcher Designs
Building on all our previously published information, we now offer a full feature article entitled “Oil Cans, Chocolates and … Carnival Glass; The Story of Fr. Wilhelm Kutzscher”. The relevance of “oil cans and chocolate” is made clear in the article! We feature the patterns that we believe were made using Kutzscher moulds, and we examine various controversies and interesting links between glass makers.
Don’t miss this Major Feature, packed full of revelations
Don’t miss this Major Feature, packed full of revelations
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A Golden Beauty with Many Names Richard Cinclair sent us this splendid photo of his 6 inch Golden bowl (right). This amazing and scarce item is known by several names: Golden Boy With Swan, Goose Girl, Leda and The Swan and now we learn from Richard that it is also known as Joseph and The Swan. Photo courtesy Richard Cinclair. All the "golden" patterns are featured on our website: Golden Treasures. |
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No Place Like Gnome
Claudio Deveikis told us about this super item he has just acquired. Standing just 3.5 inches high, this fascinating little novelty was found in Brazil, where it has been named Corcunda (meaning hunchback). Our research has uncovered a similar, earlier item, in the 1890 catalogue of the German company, Radeberg, where it was described as an “eierbecher gnomen”, which means “gnome egg cup”. There are various differences between the two items, but it certainly seems likely that this Corcunda in marigold Carnival was inspired by the earlier Radeberg piece. Right: Image of Corcunda courtesy Claudio Deveikis. Extract from 1890 Radeberg catalogue courtesy of Siegmar Geiselberger. See Corcunda in our unique Collectors Facts series. |
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Comports
Did you recognise the comport stems? Here are the answers: Top row, left to right: Blossomtime / Wild Flower exterior (Northwood), Curved Star (Brockwitz), Emu (Crown Crystal). Bottom row, left to right: Poppy (Millersburg), Imperial Grape (Imperial), Peacock at the Fountain (Northwood). |
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You can see full size photos of all the comports (and not just the stems!) in our gloriously illustrated website article: Comports! We hope you enjoy it.
Feedback
We were delighted that Diane Fry shared the following wonderful stories with us (following articles in NetworK #14).
Feedback
We were delighted that Diane Fry shared the following wonderful stories with us (following articles in NetworK #14).
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“FANTASTIC!!! Having grown up and lived only a few miles from Fenton Factory and searching the dump for a piece which had not been broken, while my Mother visited with her cousin in a house at the end of the street where the factory was located, their glass has always been among my favorites. (The designs are quiet special!)
One more statement which adds to the Fenton story: in a program presented at the HOACGA Convention one year, (knowing Frank M. was sitting in the audience), I told the story of my dump search. Frank came up to me with that wonderful grin of his, at the conclusion of the program and said: "That's the very reason we put the fence around |
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that dump! . . . to keep you ornery kids out of there!" Life is full of all kinds of memories, but I do cherish those surrounding that factory over the years, and having known Frank. It is difficult for me to imagine Williamstown without Fenton.
THEN . . . to top off your article: the facts about Hair Jewelry hit a soft-spot! I inherited a hair bracelet quite similar to the one shown in your article, from Mrs. Fry, Dean's Mother, who lived to be 92. It had belonged to her mother. History has always been of huge interest to me. I am currently reading a series of books on the founding of New England and the Southern States of America, by Englishmen in the early 1400's. By the late 1600's, they had learned to trade with the various Indian tribes and several thousand had emigrated and made America their permanent home.
THEN . . . to top off your article: the facts about Hair Jewelry hit a soft-spot! I inherited a hair bracelet quite similar to the one shown in your article, from Mrs. Fry, Dean's Mother, who lived to be 92. It had belonged to her mother. History has always been of huge interest to me. I am currently reading a series of books on the founding of New England and the Southern States of America, by Englishmen in the early 1400's. By the late 1600's, they had learned to trade with the various Indian tribes and several thousand had emigrated and made America their permanent home.
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I will certainly keep this Network as reference for quite sometime to come. THANK YOU for your research!” Thank you, Diane, for your lovely comments The next feedback is from John Lennox, representing the Lennox family in Sydney, Australia. John contacted us to say he is the grandson of Reub Levy, the “King of China”. Our NetworK readers will recall our recent features on Reub - “The King of China” – who brought so much Carnival Glass into Australia through the 1920s. John kindly sent us a photo of his grandfather, Reub and brother Bert (from a 1925 USA newspaper). Reub is on the right, and note that he is referred to as the “King of China”. |
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And finally, we could not possibly send out NetworK #15 without a BIG thank you for the huge amount of wonderful and heart-warming comments about the announcement of the online Bob Smith Carnival Tumbler Museum (in the recent NetworK Special).
