Collectors Facts - Tanssi, Karhula
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1934 Karhula catalogue, courtesy Roger Peltonen
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Shapes:
Ashtray
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Colours:
Blue
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The Tanssi pattern is only known as an ashtray in blue Carnival. It is 4.75 inches in diameter, with an intaglio moulded image of a dancing couple on the underside. It is illustrated in the Karhula 1934 catalogue and thanks to Roger Peltonen in Finland, we can share this catalogue image with you, and also his photograph of the actual mould used to make this item. |
The Tanssi mould courtesy of Roger Peltonen
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What was the inspiration for Karhula's design?
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What is the story of the dancing couple? In fact, it is a fascinating and rather romantic one, for the dance is the Tango, and the history of how and when it came to Finland is enthralling. Tango originated in the 1890s in the working class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. In the early years of the 20th century, dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, and the first European tango craze took place in Paris, soon followed by London, Berlin, and other capitals. Towards the end of 1913 it hit New York and Finland. A few years later the dance craze really took off in Finland and during the 1920s and 30s it turned into a real passion!The Finns began to write their own tango melodies and soon they dominated the music scene in the country. The Finnish version of the tango is slower and simpler, with melodies taken from old Finnish and Russian waltzes weaved throughout. The accordion replaces the Argentine bandoneon. It still has its own distinctive form and remains exceptionally popular, with an annual festival (the Tangomarkkinat) held every year in July. This exquisite ashtray has an intriguing social history! |