NetworK ezine Issue 84. May 2022
Totally Devoted to Carnival Glass
A warm welcome to the May issue of Carnival Glass NetworK.
Springtime in the northern hemisphere is lambing season, and these two cute lambs, seen in our local countryside, set the scene perfectly for our first item. Little Bo-Peep - Lost No More! |
Little Bo-Peep (aka Bo-Peep) mug, marigold.
Courtesy Burns Auction Service (far left) and Seeck Auctions (centre). |
The maker of this cute child’s mug and a matching Little Bo-Peep dish (which was originally called a plate) has long been credited to Westmoreland. So, it was a delight to find this ad (below) for the Little Bo-Peep mug and plate – and to see that it was made by the United States Glass Company (and not by Westmoreland, as had been the previous “received wisdom” regarding attribution).
Above: a clip from the 1922 journal, explaining
the introduction of this whimsical set. Note that the extract refers to the plate being made in blue and orange. We assume the orange was marigold, but we can’t be certain what the blue referred to. Left: a 1922 Crockery and Glass Journal ad for United States Glass Co’s Little Bo-Peep mug and plate. |
The Skill of the Glass Makers: The Creative Inspiration behind the Shapes
From the collection of Mary Jo and Tony DeMichael, explore the creative mind of Gary Levi of Levay Glass Distributing, and the skill of Fenton glassworkers.
Our April NetworK included a major feature on Fenton’s iconic Butterfly and Berry pattern. It inspired Tony DeMichael to contact us about the amazing collection of Butterfly and Berry aqua opal whimsies that he and Mary Jo have curated. It’s a fascinating story, and the accompanying photos are wonderfully informative. Using only the tumbler mould, Fenton made a wide variety of Butterfly and Berry items in aqua opal for Gary Levi / Levay Glass. A diverse assortment of hand-finished shapes was made, through combinations of top shaping, crimping and the application of handles.
Tony takes up their story:
“We first learned about Levay Glass Distributing from the Thistlewoods' book "A Century of Carnival Glass". We soon discovered the tumbler whimsey shapes and were off to try and find as many as we could. They are difficult to find with most luck coming in antique shops and in later years, the internet. Gary Levi only lived about an hour away from us in Edwardsville, IL. We eventually got to know and became good friends with Gary and Dodie. Most of the 22 pieces we have pictured here are signed by Gary along with a number of that particular piece and the total number of pieces of that particular shape. There are a few that are similar to one another but the way to tell that one piece was different than another was by the numbering system. We have a few that are not signed or numbered at all. I suspect these may be one-of-a-kind that were the creations of a Fenton factory worker.”
Read on to learn about the 21 different variations created using just one mould … All photos in this section are courtesy Mary Jo and Tony DeMichael.
From the collection of Mary Jo and Tony DeMichael, explore the creative mind of Gary Levi of Levay Glass Distributing, and the skill of Fenton glassworkers.
Our April NetworK included a major feature on Fenton’s iconic Butterfly and Berry pattern. It inspired Tony DeMichael to contact us about the amazing collection of Butterfly and Berry aqua opal whimsies that he and Mary Jo have curated. It’s a fascinating story, and the accompanying photos are wonderfully informative. Using only the tumbler mould, Fenton made a wide variety of Butterfly and Berry items in aqua opal for Gary Levi / Levay Glass. A diverse assortment of hand-finished shapes was made, through combinations of top shaping, crimping and the application of handles.
Tony takes up their story:
“We first learned about Levay Glass Distributing from the Thistlewoods' book "A Century of Carnival Glass". We soon discovered the tumbler whimsey shapes and were off to try and find as many as we could. They are difficult to find with most luck coming in antique shops and in later years, the internet. Gary Levi only lived about an hour away from us in Edwardsville, IL. We eventually got to know and became good friends with Gary and Dodie. Most of the 22 pieces we have pictured here are signed by Gary along with a number of that particular piece and the total number of pieces of that particular shape. There are a few that are similar to one another but the way to tell that one piece was different than another was by the numbering system. We have a few that are not signed or numbered at all. I suspect these may be one-of-a-kind that were the creations of a Fenton factory worker.”
Read on to learn about the 21 different variations created using just one mould … All photos in this section are courtesy Mary Jo and Tony DeMichael.
Above: This picture shows two extremes of shapes made
from the same Butterfly and Berry tumbler mould - swung vases and a plate (the plate is not signed or numbered). |
Above, front two items: flared candy ribbon edge 22 of 40, left;
and candy ribbon edge two sides down 1 of 7, right. Back three items, candy ribbon edge, looped handle basket 2 of 7, left; candy ribbon edge triple twist handle basket (not numbered or signed), centre; and candy ribbon edge two sides down looped handle basket 2 of 7, right. |
Above, front two items: candy ribbon edge 6 ruffled hat
shape 27 of 86, left; and 8-star spittoon shape 15 of 40, right. Middle two items: 8 star flared hat shape 3 of 8, left; and candy ribbon edge JIP shape 21 of 24, right. Back two items: 6 ruffled basket 29 of 40, left; and candy ribbon edge two sides up basket 6 of 65, right. |
Above, front three items: flared hat shape 26 of 34, left; spittoon 12 of 61, centre; and tri corner hat shape 3 of 5, right.
Middle two items: 6 ruffled hat shape 45 of 67, left; JIP shape hat smooth edge 9 of 24, right. Back three items: tumbler iridized inside 1 of 16, left; handkerchief shape vase 13 of 42, centre; and tumbler not iridized inside 1 of 9, right. |
The ruffled plate in the first photo above has an interesting back-story regarding its acquisition by the DeMichaels. Here’s how it happened – Tony relates the story: “Mary Jo and I worked for the same crop insurance company for 20 or so years. Home headquarters for the company was Anoka, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis/St Paul. We would sometimes spend 2-3 weeks there at a time. Of course, on weekends, we would haunt every antique shop in the area. We were in a small shop in downtown Anoka and I saw this plate on the bottom shelf of a glass case. I immediately called Mary Jo over because I could tell it was aqua opal but since it was on the bottom shelf and plate shaped, I could not see the pattern. When I got it out and discovered it was Butterfly and Berry, I was absolutely blown away that I found this piece in that place. How in the world it ended up in Anoka, MN I can't even imagine. I was first and foremost impressed about how a worker could take a tumbler and make a plate! Truly amazing. I don't have any proof, but I highly suspect it is one of a kind - same way with the triple twisted handle basket (in the second photo)” |
Footnote: |
Our thanks to Tony and Mary Jo for sharing their passion, their information, their photos and their amazing glass!
To read our major feature on Fenton's Butterfly and Berry, go here: The Enduring Butterfly and Berry
To read our major feature on Fenton's Butterfly and Berry, go here: The Enduring Butterfly and Berry
A Vaseline Discovery
Vaseline Carnival from Sowerby is seldom seen, but always exciting and lovely when it is found. We are delighted to show – courtesy of Scott McCartney – the first example of Sowerby’s Hobstar and Cut Triangles (aka Sowerby's Service 2411) in glowing vaseline Carnival that we are aware of.
Vaseline Carnival from Sowerby is seldom seen, but always exciting and lovely when it is found. We are delighted to show – courtesy of Scott McCartney – the first example of Sowerby’s Hobstar and Cut Triangles (aka Sowerby's Service 2411) in glowing vaseline Carnival that we are aware of.
Sowerby’s Hobstar and Cut Triangles with Roundel
interior, in vaseline seen under UV light. Photo courtesy Scott McCartney. |
Sowerby’s Hobstar and Cut Triangles with Roundel interior in vaseline, in normal light. Photo courtesy Scott McCartney.
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Hobstar and Cut Triangles, which was originally Sowerby's "Service 2411",
as shown in their 1925 Pattern Book. Courtesy Mike Tomlin |
Hobstar and Cut Triangles first appears in Sowerby’s 1925 catalogue as pattern 2411. This early date corrects the 1927 date that we have in “A Century of Carnival” and our Encyclopedia of European Carnival (note that our old 1927 date has been copied by others, including as recently as March/April 2022).
A wide range of Carnival shapes and sizes was made in this pattern – we have listed the following based on the 1925 catalogue information, as follows:
- Bowl (cupped in or round – basic shape) 6½, 7½, 8½, 9½ inches
- Crimped (ruffled) 7, 8, 9 and 10 inches
- Deep crimped, 6, 7, 8 and 9 inches
Many more shapes were also listed in 1925 (but are not, so far, known in Carnival), including a 10 inch float bowl, butter dish, sugars and creamers in various forms, comports and celery vases and a heart shaped sweet dish.
The Carnival colours were marigold, amethyst, purples and aqua/blue shades, and now we can also add vaseline/green to the list.
It’s a real delight to feature this snippet (right) from the 1925 and 1927 Sowerby Pattern Books, which shows Sunglow (marigold Carnival) and Ruby (red, not iridised), both in colour! Interestingly, in the 1927 catalogue illustration, the word “Iridescent” was added under the words “1102 Plate and Stand (Loose)”. Note: the items shown in the list on the left of the extract: number 1874 is the Daisy Block Rowboat, 2349 is the Pineapple butter, 2031 is the Covered Swan butter and 2411 is Hobstar and Cut Triangles. |
Extract from Sowerby’s 1925 Pattern Book. Courtesy Mike Tomlin.
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Tom Dugan (and Cambridge Glass)
On the face of it, despite a serious fire in 1912 at Dugan Glass Company, Indiana, PA, the business had recovered and was apparently doing well under General Manager, Thomas (Tom) Dugan.
However, in late January / early February 1913, Tom Dugan was mysteriously ousted from Dugan Glass following a suspected boardroom coup.
On the face of it, despite a serious fire in 1912 at Dugan Glass Company, Indiana, PA, the business had recovered and was apparently doing well under General Manager, Thomas (Tom) Dugan.
However, in late January / early February 1913, Tom Dugan was mysteriously ousted from Dugan Glass following a suspected boardroom coup.
We reported the story and the possible skulduggery behind this glass industry drama in our NetworK 56 (January 2020) and we included the following snippet of information that Tom Dugan “became involved with Cambridge Glass for a while” before moving to Lonaconing, MD in 1914, where he started the Dugan Flint Glass Company (but no Carnival was made there). Well, we can now state firmly that Tom Dugan actually worked in a formal capacity for Cambridge Glass Co - as we discovered from this fascinating report in a 1913 glass journal. He took up the position as (sales) representative for Cambridge at their New York showrooms, in May, 1913. |
Above: a Classic Carnival, beautifully designed and much admired Dugan Butterfly and Tulip square shaped footed bowl in purple.
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For the full story and background to the difficult times at Dugan-Diamond, see our in-depth feature here in our NetworK #56 Issue: The Mystery of Tom Dugan and Diamond
Our Work, Our Time
We spend countless hours researching Carnival – delving into archives and chasing up leads, sources and old records. It takes considerable effort and a huge amount of time, but we do it because our aim is to further the knowledge and appreciation of Carnival and to document its rich history.
We share our knowledge here in our free monthly NetworK ezine, as well as on our website, and in our NetworK Facebook group. We always aim to fully acknowledge our sources and all those wonderful people who help us along the way. It’s important to us to do that – not only is it the correct, ethical thing to do, but also, it is a source of further information and background for other researchers. It’s the scholarly and correct approach. It is critical evidence – a chain of documentation that future collectors and researchers can follow.
We spend countless hours researching Carnival – delving into archives and chasing up leads, sources and old records. It takes considerable effort and a huge amount of time, but we do it because our aim is to further the knowledge and appreciation of Carnival and to document its rich history.
We share our knowledge here in our free monthly NetworK ezine, as well as on our website, and in our NetworK Facebook group. We always aim to fully acknowledge our sources and all those wonderful people who help us along the way. It’s important to us to do that – not only is it the correct, ethical thing to do, but also, it is a source of further information and background for other researchers. It’s the scholarly and correct approach. It is critical evidence – a chain of documentation that future collectors and researchers can follow.
Sadly, we often see our work appropriated, plagiarised and copied elsewhere, without any attribution or acknowledgment to us as the original source. We have been doing this work for well over thirty years, and so, it’s not surprising that much of what we have written in the past has become the “accepted wisdom” in the Carnival Glass world. What is not right – and is neither courteous nor ethical – is when we publish a new discovery or new research that fundamentally changes previously-held views or maker attributions, only to find that our information is quickly picked up and used to correct other online sources. And here’s the problem with that; it’s often done without any recognition or reference to the source of that corrected / updated information. A perfect example is our research findings regarding the Jeannette attributions that appeared in our April NetworK ezine. It was our hard work and time that unearthed the correct factory attributions (to Jeannette, and not to Imperial or Diamond), with vital help from others whom we fully and gratefully acknowledged and thanked. To our surprise, within 24 hours, our correct attributions (without acknowledgement) appeared elsewhere! |
Attributions using our work without acknowledgement of
the information source are neither professional nor ethical. |
Of course, it is good for Carnival to “set the record straight” with correct attributions. However, it is ethically dubious and exceedingly impolite, neither to ask us beforehand, nor to acknowledge the source of the fresh, correct information.
Note: All material in NetworK and on our website is Copyright, including images, research and content.
Note: All material in NetworK and on our website is Copyright, including images, research and content.
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