In a Pickle!
Catalogue illustration from Imperial’s 101B, c.1915
The shapes shown here are often described as pickle dishes, dresser trays and so on. But what did the maker intend them to be, and are we giving them the right terms/descriptions? The illustration is from Imperial’s catalogue 101B, c. 1915, showing two Pansy shapes at the top and two Windmill shapes below.
Top left is the Pansy unruffled oval shape – Imperial called it an OVAL DISH. Top right is the ruffled oval Pansy shape – Imperial called it a CRIMPED OVAL.
Bottom left is the Windmill oval unruffled shape – Imperial called it an OVAL CELERY TRAY. Bottom right is the ruffled oval Windmill shape – Imperial called it a CRIMPED PICKLE DISH. It’s interesting to note that the same shapes were given different terms, on the two patterns.
Why? Probably just to give a sense of multi-use, and to increase their sales potential by suggesting the sort of use for a particular item - in short, whatever made it sell!
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There’s no doubt that the crimped oval shape was (and is) generally called a pickle dish. And perhaps we should start calling the Windmill oval shape that isn’t ruffled, an oval celery tray, rather than a relish.
It’s also clear from the catalogue and other sources that these shapes were all intended for the dining table, but as ever, if the customer wanted to use it for some other purpose, that was just fine. On the right is a Windmill oval shape (in aqua) that collectors now call a relish. Below are the two oval shaped pieces in the Pansy pattern. On the left is the unruffled shape (in smoke) that is generally called a celery shape and on the right is the crimped shape (in amber) that collectors call the pickle dish. 
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The smoke Pansy piece shown above is also sometimes called a "dresser tray", but the shapes that Imperial made the Pansy pattern were all for use as domestic tableware: plate, bowl, sugar, creamer, handled nappy, pickle and celery. Imperial did not make a dresser set in the Pansy pattern.
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Note the colours that were listed in the Imperial catalogue. On the right is how Imperial described their "Iridescent Colours" at the time. Rubigold is what we call marigold. Azur would be amethyst /purple. Helios is what we still call it today (green with silver iridescence. But what was Old Gold? They described it as “real amber glass with a deep rich iridescent covering, which sometimes has beautiful warm tintings of red.” In fact that was Imperial’s term for their amber Carnival. |
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It's perfectly understandable that collectors want to give a name to the shape of their pieces of Carnival. It is a form of shorthand that helps to categorise our glass, intended to provide a consistency in the way a particular item is described. But, it's also important to recognise that the makers of Carnival Glass had a different approach. It was intentionally not consistent! It was an approach that encouraged buyers to think of the different ways that they could use the glass in their own homes. Yes, some pieces were specifically promoted for use as home decoration and display, but huge amounts were offered for everyday use ... and the makers, or more likely the wholesales and retailers, were deliberately non-specific and inconsistent in the descriptive terms they used to promote sales. Remember the Pansy piece in the Imperial catalogue (shown at the top of this page), which was described as an "oval dish"? Well, here it is in a wholesale catalogue, as part of an Imperial selection, described as an "oval celery tray". |
Butler Brothers whoelsale catalogue, 1912.
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What About Other Makers?
Our research into Carnival Glass made in Europe (and elsewhere around the world outside of the USA) has given rise to a whole new set of reference points for the description of shape. Here are just two examples from the German maker, Brockwitz.
On the left is a lidded piece. The pattern is Patricia, and it's a pickle jar. On the right is a pattern called Leaf - the piece looks like a celery, and most likely was used as such, but it's catalogue description was a "Gurkenschale", a dish for gherkins!
Our research into Carnival Glass made in Europe (and elsewhere around the world outside of the USA) has given rise to a whole new set of reference points for the description of shape. Here are just two examples from the German maker, Brockwitz.
On the left is a lidded piece. The pattern is Patricia, and it's a pickle jar. On the right is a pattern called Leaf - the piece looks like a celery, and most likely was used as such, but it's catalogue description was a "Gurkenschale", a dish for gherkins!
Patricia, made by Brockwitz
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Leaf, made by Brockwitz
Brockwitz catalog
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