Tornado Vases - the Eye of the Storm!

G&S Thistlewood, updated October 2014

Research into the Tornado Variant carried out by Glen & Stephen Thistlewood
​and published in our Schiffer Book, "A Century of Carnival Glass" in 2001.

Above, three Northwood Tornado vases. 
Left, marigold “small” size (6” high); middle, green “large” size (6.5” high); 
right, purple ribbed version (6” high).

Tornadoes! Swirling, whirling maelstroms: twisters! But is that really what the design on these fabulous Northwood vases was originally intended to be? Why did this vase ever get saddled with the name Tornado? 

We have to lay the blame at the feet of Marion Hartung, resident of Kansas City, slap bang in the middle of Tornado Alley. Understandably she saw the swirling motif as a tornado, but is that really what it was meant to be? It’s most unlikely that Harry Northwood would ever have been up close and personal with a Kansas twister: he was born and bred in Stourbridge in the UK, and lived in West Virginia for only a relatively short time when he designed these vases. Marion Hartung wasn’t alone in misinterpreting what the motif represented - another Carnival Glass pioneer, Rose Presznick, thought it was a tadpole.

They were not called Tornado vases at the time they were being made and offered to the buying public. Here are two newspaper ads from 1911, that both offer Tornado vases as special offers to entice shoppers. Interestingly, both ads mistakenly refer to "opalescent" instead of "iridescent", and note how the ad on the left specifically compares the Carnival Glass item with the more expensive Tiffany glass (confirming the was Carnival Glass was seen as "Poor Man's Tiffany" - see "What's in a Name?" to read more about other names that have been given to Carnival Glass).

Chicago Examiner, 1911

Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre Record, 1911

We have a different line of thinking altogether. From our extensive and detailed research carried out and published in our Schiffer Book, "A Century of Carnival Glass" in 2001, we concluded that the pattern was very likely intended to represent a peacock feather, and that when Harry Northwood made his press moulded Tornado vases, he was very possibly imitating art glass vases (below, centre) that he had seen elsewhere.

  

Harrods ad c.1900.

A trio of Tornado Variant vases.

Mickey Reichel Auction December 1996.

​Above, left is a Harrods ad from c.1900 showing vases that were probably made in Stourbridge, England (extract shown here courtesy The Glass Association, taken from their Journal Volume 5, 1997). The twisting motif was intended to be a peacock feather: the ad described it as “The Original English Peacock Decoration”. Note the distinctive pedestal foot and the ruffled top, as well as the range of sizes offered. The ad also boasts a “large variety of shapes” too. 

Above, centre is a trio of vases that we feel are very possibly a variation of these items - they all have a form of applied “Peacock Decoration”. They are known as Tornado Variant vases. Their heights are, from the left: 7", 6" and 5". The applied “tornadoes” (possibly peacock feather motifs) on the smallest (5") vase, are vaseline—they glow! The three vases each has a pontil mark in the middle of its base, and the "tornado/peacock eye" motif or “trail” is applied to the glass (i.e. the glass “trail” is heated and applied during manufacture to the still hot vase body, and left in relief on the surface of the item).

Who made them? We’re fairly sure they are English and quite possibly from Thomas Webb & Sons, although we have no proof absolute. 

All examples currently known that we are aware of, are marigold - rare vaseline base glass is also reported as well as the vaseline applied "tornadoes/feathers”, such as the super pair shown on the right (both are 7.25 inches tall).

A pair with vaseline tornadoes, courtesy Roy Jones

It’s interesting to note that Harry Northwood also made some rare examples of his Tornado vase in marigold with Vaseline “tornadoes”.  One of these sold at a Mickey Reichel auction in Missouri back in 1996; you can see the vase on the front cover of the auction brochure, above right. The use of green “trails” (tornadoes or peacock feathers, you can take your pick!) is interesting. If we go back to the Harrod’s ad, we find out that a special new technique was being used called The New Emeraldene Decoration. This was described as being “a beautiful and original production showing graceful lines of transparent green glass on white crystal”. It is possible that Northwood used the idea of the Emeraldene Decoration for the Tornado vase you can see on the auction brochure.

Probably Kralik

Northwood's version

The puzzles don’t stop there. Carnival Glass is rarely that simple! 

Some years ago we were able to purchase this most unusual Tornado type vase (shown on the far left). Our initial investigations as to the maker were fruitless until we contacted Alfredo Villeneuva – the Czech Art Glass collector and researcher. Alfredo is certain that our vase was made by Kralik (Czech/Bohemian) probably in the late 1890s. His judgement is based primarily on the very distinctive shape, as well as the iridescence and applied decoration.

Note the rich golden iridescence and the vivid vaseline (which is highly UV reactive) applied trail on the Kralik vase. You can see the close similarities between the Kralik vase and the Northwood Tornado vase if you compare the two shapes, especially the neck shaping and the lower part of the vase form. The applied tornado/peacock feather trail is especially interesting. The earlier Kralik vase has a quirky, switch-back twist just below the eye at the top; so does the Northwood vase. The earlier Kralik vase has a textured centre to the circle at the top of the trail; so does the Northwood vase.
 
The main difference lies in the fact that the Kralik vase was blow moulded and has an applied decoration, while the Northwood vase was press moulded and the decoration (tornado/feather motif) is part of the moulded design.

A further twist (pardon the pun) to the Tornado vase story is that a single press moulded, pedestal footed vase (i.e. the shape of the vase trio shown) complete with tornado/feather motifs and “zipper” lines, is known, and is believed to be a Northwood piece. Could it be that Harry Northwood first made a press moulded Tornado vase with a pedestal foot (just like the Stourbridge examples) but decided it was too difficult to produce in that shape and so chose instead to make the simpler Kralik shape?

The inspirations behind Northwood’s Tornado vase are fascinating and in all probability came from two sources: Stourbridge (in England) and Bohemia. The links, the inspirations, the colours, the shapes and the motifs are all intriguing and fascinating to study.  And as for the motif - tornado or peacock feather eye? The choice is yours to call it what you will.  As Juliet said in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”