NetworK ezine Issue 66. November 2020
Totally Devoted to Carnival Glass
Meandering
The pattern, below right, is Northwood’s popular and truly exquisite Sunflower, and it is well-known to most collectors. In fact, it was the very first piece that we purchased, as newbie collectors back in the 1980s. Not quite as well-known, perhaps, is the lovely exterior design, which is called Meander - as shown below left, on our blue Northwood Sunflower bowl.
Meander, exterior pattern.
Meander has a fascinating back-story. The Meander mould was originally a Jefferson Glass piece. Below is the Meander pattern, from the Jefferson Glass catalogue, c. 1907. 
|
A blue Northwood Sunflower bowl.
Several other familiar patterns that are known to have been made in Carnival by Northwood were also originally Jefferson pieces: Ruffles and Rings, Fine Cut and Roses, and the Vintage (Grape) exterior. These moulds were used originally for the production of opalescent and crystal glass by Jefferson. |
|
Jefferson Opalescent Assortment, 1908
|
Northwood Iridescent Assortment, 1909
|
|
Above on the left is a 1908 Butler Brothers, Spring catalogue, showing Jefferson’s Opalescent Novelty Assortment. Familiar items can be seen on the top row, going left to right: Meander, Vintage (Grape), Fine Cut and Roses, and Meander again. A year later, in 1909, it appears that some Jefferson moulds have been put into production by Northwood, as we can see in the “Pompeiian Assortment” of iridescent glass (above right). It includes the Fine Cut and Roses pattern in both the rose bowl and candy dish shapes.
When did these Jefferson moulds go to Northwood and why? Judging by ads in Butler Brothers catalogues, it appears that the transfer had been made between 1908 and 1909. The 1909 Butler Brothers ad settles the question “when” – the moulds were purchased by Northwood around the end of 1908 or the start of 1909. The question “why” is a little more interesting. What happened in 1908 that could have made Jefferson want to change direction and sell some of their moulds? The answer is crystal clear – or perhaps we should say it is Krys-Tol clear. In 1908 Jefferson took over production of the Krys-Tol line of glassware (in particular the well-known Chippendale pattern) from Ohio Flint Glass Co, and in January 1909, they announced that they were increasing its production. 
|
A Fine Cut and Roses aqua opal rose bowl by Northwood. Photo courtesy Seeck Auctions.
Aqua opal Carnival was a "signature" colour / treatment perfected by Northwood.) 
In 1910, Jefferson invested in what was described in trade journals as “wideawake advertising” to promote their Krys-Tol lines (see clip above, in the Crockery & Glass Journal)
|
In fact, Jefferson continued to add even more production – making press releases about production volumes, and even taking out an ad in 1910 to reassure their many customers that they were continuing to produce Chippendale Krys-Tol, that they described as the “most popular pattern in the market”.
Jefferson missed out on the Carnival Glass phenomenon.
Jefferson was clearly dominated by the production of Krys-Tol. When the Crockery & Glass Journal was reporting on the Annual Glass Exhibit at Pittsburgh, in January 1910, they made particular note of Northwood’s production of “Iris” iridescent, and Dugan’s “Aurora”, as well as Millersburg’s “iridescent specialities”. Their comment on Jefferson, however, was that they were “showing some very clever creations in the 'Krys-Tol' product", adding that the new lines had “an exclusiveness and originality” of design.
So, now we know why, as well as when, those Jefferson moulds went to Northwood. They certainly had their day in the sun in Carnival Glass.
If you want to learn more about Krys-Tol, we have an article and some fascinating old ads here: It's Krys-Tol Clear!
Jefferson missed out on the Carnival Glass phenomenon.
Jefferson was clearly dominated by the production of Krys-Tol. When the Crockery & Glass Journal was reporting on the Annual Glass Exhibit at Pittsburgh, in January 1910, they made particular note of Northwood’s production of “Iris” iridescent, and Dugan’s “Aurora”, as well as Millersburg’s “iridescent specialities”. Their comment on Jefferson, however, was that they were “showing some very clever creations in the 'Krys-Tol' product", adding that the new lines had “an exclusiveness and originality” of design.
So, now we know why, as well as when, those Jefferson moulds went to Northwood. They certainly had their day in the sun in Carnival Glass.
If you want to learn more about Krys-Tol, we have an article and some fascinating old ads here: It's Krys-Tol Clear!
Fine Cut and Roses
Northwood's Fine Cut and Roses rosebowls were clearly a great success with the buying public. They were made in a huge variety of Carnival colours (some 17 or so), and also non-Carnival.
Northwood's Fine Cut and Roses rosebowls were clearly a great success with the buying public. They were made in a huge variety of Carnival colours (some 17 or so), and also non-Carnival.
|
To add further variety to your Fine Cut and Roses collection, you could diversify into the shape that was flared out into a Candy Dish. That gives you around 10 Carnival colours to search out. 
It also offers up another variation - the pattern above, called Fancy.
|
You could put together a wonderful collection of Fine Cut and Roses rosebowls. These are (clockwise for top left): purple, horehound, ice blue, green and marigold. Courtesy Seeck Auctions.
|
Fancy is found on the interior of some, but not all Fine Cut and Roses pieces - the others have a Plain interior. Fancy is seen very clearly on the Candy Dish shape, but it is also found (but rather lost) in the inside of some rosebowls.
If that is not enough variety for you, look out for (rarer) versions of the rosebowl shape that do not have a collar base (sometimes called a base ring). Our hard-to-prove theory, is that the mould inherited from Jefferson was the version without the collar base. In both of the Butler Brothers ads shown above, the Fine Cut and Roses rosebowls do not have a collar base.
Fancy is found on the interior of some, but not all Fine Cut and Roses pieces - the others have a Plain interior. Fancy is seen very clearly on the Candy Dish shape, but it is also found (but rather lost) in the inside of some rosebowls.
If that is not enough variety for you, look out for (rarer) versions of the rosebowl shape that do not have a collar base (sometimes called a base ring). Our hard-to-prove theory, is that the mould inherited from Jefferson was the version without the collar base. In both of the Butler Brothers ads shown above, the Fine Cut and Roses rosebowls do not have a collar base.
Left is a rosebowl with the collar base. The green one on the right (courtesy Seeck Auctions) does not. We think that Northwood found it difficult to make Carnival using the one without a collar base; Carnival needed to be held in a tool (a "snap") to be iridised, and a collar base served exactly this purpose. So, Northwood created a new baseplate for the mould, with a collar base.
|
And finally, to add more to your mini-collection, don't forget the Contemporary Fenton "look-alike". It is similar to Northwood's Fine Cut and Roses, but the Contemporary one replaces the roses with bunches of grapes, and it is called Fine Cut and Grape. Shown above in red and white, courtesy of Seeck Auctions.
|
What exactly is Carnival Glass? Announcing the Release of our new Free eBook
In late October 2016 we started our Facebook NetworK Carnival Group, running alongside our established free NetworK ezine. It’s been a huge and truly amazing success, and we have more than 10,000 Members from all over the world. We have a constant flow of new joiners and many are interested in knowing more about the background of Carnival. So, we decided to create a hot-off-the-press FREE eBook that will answer these questions and promote knowledge, appreciation and understanding of Carnival Glass of all Eras, far and wide.
"What exactly is Carnival Glass?" is a "frequently asked question". Of course the answer is, "it's complicated", as you would expect for glass that has been made for over 100 years!
In late October 2016 we started our Facebook NetworK Carnival Group, running alongside our established free NetworK ezine. It’s been a huge and truly amazing success, and we have more than 10,000 Members from all over the world. We have a constant flow of new joiners and many are interested in knowing more about the background of Carnival. So, we decided to create a hot-off-the-press FREE eBook that will answer these questions and promote knowledge, appreciation and understanding of Carnival Glass of all Eras, far and wide.
"What exactly is Carnival Glass?" is a "frequently asked question". Of course the answer is, "it's complicated", as you would expect for glass that has been made for over 100 years!
|
It’s packed full of cutting-edge research, catalogue and archive illustrations, in-depth insights and a whole lot more.
The Access Guide comprises clearly organised and explanatory “live” links that take the reader directly to multiple feature articles, informative illustrations, photo galleries and more on our website, many of which will have even further menu tabs for you to explore. There’s also a helpful guide to getting the most from our website by using the powerful Search Box as well as the detailed Pattern Index. |
The eBook comes as a free downloadable PDF. But if your device doesn’t support links within a PDF, don’t worry. Although initially offered exclusively to NetworK readers and our Facebook Group members first, the full Access Guide will soon be available as a clickable index directly on our website. We will also be adding further descriptive links as our research and writing grows ever more.
Download your free eBook here: What is Carnival Glass?
Download your free eBook here: What is Carnival Glass?
“Splashy New Glassware” Fenton’s Contemporary Spruce Green Carnival Glass.
An original Dugan-Diamond purple Heavy Iris water set (pitcher
and six tumblers). Photo courtesy Seeck Auctions. |
In 1999, Fenton featured a line of Spruce Green Carnival – a light-mid green with a beautiful iridescence showing lovely pastel shades of pink, turquoise and gold. In their descriptive text they referred to Fenton’s original 1908 production of Carnival, using the delightful term “splashy new glassware” to describe it. The extract on the left is from Fenton’s 1999 Catalogue (shown courtesy of the Fenton Family and Fenton Art Glass Co.). It shows Fenton’s version of the Grape and Cable Tobacco Jar (#9188), Hobstar Pitcher (#6869), Scottie Dog (#5214), and a miniature Hand Vase (#5153), all in Spruce Green Carnival. The following year, another Spruce Green assortment was offered that included (according to Fenton’s catalogue) items made from “moulds purchased in 1999 from the L. G. Wright Glass Company when they went out of business”. In fact, these moulds were original Dugan-Diamond ones, that had been obtained by Si Wright in 1939, and first reused for Wright in purple Carnival some forty years later, in 1979. 
The Fenton Spruce Green Carnival offering in 2000 included this reproduced Heavy Iris water set, which they simply called "Iris".
There were four tumblers in the set. Catalogue extract shown courtesy of the Fenton Family and Fenton Art Glass. |
Note that it is possible to distinguish between the original Dugan-Diamond pitcher and the reproductions by glancing at the neck. There is a wide plain band above the iris pattern and the top of the pitcher on the reproductions – the original Dugan-Diamond pitcher did not have that band, and the pattern goes almost to the very top.
The fully illustrated article and complete catalogue pages are on our website. We also show the actual Dugan-Diamond moulds for the Heavy Iris water set, here: Contemporary Spruce Green
|
Breaking News - Diamante Discovery
We report this spectacular find courtesy of Claudio Deveikis. The magnificent marigold comport shown here was made by Esberard of Brazil, and is the first reported example, and the pattern has been named Diamante by Claudio. This superb piece will be added to the Esberard Gallery shortly. Watch out for more amazing finds from Brazil in the next issue of NetworK. |
|
Above: this Esberard catalogue clip of the item - catalogue #360 – is shown courtesy Clóvis Bezerra.
Left: Diamante, made by Esberard, Brazil. Courtesy of Claudio Deveikis.
|
|
Smile! From the 1907 “Glass and Pottery World” Journal. |
|
If you have missed any of the previous issues of NetworK and NetworK Specials, they are all here: Back Issues.
Privacy and the use of your information: we only use your name and email address to send you your FREE Carnival Glass NetworK ezine. We will not share your name or email address with anyone else, or use it for any other purpose. You can change your mind about receiving your NetworK ezine at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the foot of every issue, or by emailing us at [email protected]
Join us on Facebook
We would love you to come and join in the fun, and we invite you and your friends to join us all on NetworK's fast growing and very active Facebook Group!
We would love you to come and join in the fun, and we invite you and your friends to join us all on NetworK's fast growing and very active Facebook Group!
