Guest Column: What is Carnival Glass?
March 14th, 2008
By Glen and Stephen Thistlewood (Copyright 2008)
Glen and Stephen Thistlewood are Carnival Glass collectors whose site, Carnival-glass.net, is featured in our Hall of Fame.
What exactly is Carnival Glass? To the non-collector, it might be dismissed as “that orange stuff” but in fact there are more than sixty recognized colors in the Carnival collector’s repertoire, including marigold (“that orange stuff”). Carnival Glass has a unique and magical harmony of color, pattern, shape and iridescence—a legacy from the master-craftsmen of past eras.
What’s in a name?
Variously called “Pompeiian Iridescent,” “Venetian Art,” and “Mexican Aurora” when originally advertised for sale in the early 1900s in the United States, Carnival has since been called a multitude of different names around the world over the past hundred years. “Nancy glass”, “Baking Powder glass” and “Poor Man’s Tiffany” are just a selection of the variety of sobriquets. Carnival Glass, of course, is now the accepted name for this astonishingly beautiful, highly sought-after and internationally collected form of what is arguably, a variety of Art Glass.
What is Carnival Glass?
So what exactly is Carnival Glass? Essentially, it is patterned glass that has been press-moulded (or in some cases, blow-moulded), and sprayed with metallic solutions to produce an iridescent effect. Whilst the pressing was a mass-produced, mechanical process, it was mainly performed by hand, and items were subsequently fashioned into their final shapes by glass maker craftsmen. Because of this, almost every piece has its own unique characteristics. When originally made, Carnival Glass sold for a few cents a piece (or, as legend has it, was even given away as prizes at traveling fairs and carnivals, as fashions changed and stocks built up—hence the name Carnival Glass). This Cinderella to Rockefeller glass now sells for prices ranging from low USDs for very easily available items, up to the (current) record of U.S. $100,000 achieved at public auction in 2006 for a rare Millersburg “People’s Vase.”
Who made it and when?
The earliest production, defined by us as Classic Carnival Glass, was made in the United States from 1907 to around 1925, where the major makers were Fenton, Northwood, Imperial, Dugan-Diamond, and Millersburg. The popularity of this beautiful glass did not go unnoticed by glass companies outside of the U.S.A, and within a few years Carnival began to be made around the world. Countries such as Germany, England, Sweden, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Australia, Poland, India, Argentina and more all produced their own splendid versions of Carnival Glass.
Growing interest in European Carnival Glass
Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest in European/Scandinavian Carnival, possibly fueled by our research and writing in this area. The chance of uncovering previously unknown patterns and shapes undoubtedly adds to the fascination and enthusiasm of collectors. There is also an element of mystery and excitement, as the discovery of “new” makers and hitherto unseen pieces widens the horizons and delights the eye.
The photos shown here present a selection of blue Carnival from around the world—the USA, Sweden, Germany and Czechoslovakia. You can see many more photos on our website where you can also read our research or buy our books and various other resources to find out more, http://www.carnival-glass.net. You can also contact us directly through the email link on our Home Page.
Here are the captions for the images in this article, from top to bottom:
1. Northwood’s electric blue “Peacocks” bowl with a pie crust edge. Classic Carnival Glass at its finest. Copyright G & S Thistlewood, 2008
2. A rare blow-moulded vase from Czechoslovakia, this is the “Inca” vase in blue. Copyright G & S Thistlewood, 2008
3. A “Triple Alliance” cookie jar in blue from the German maker, Brockwitz. These are seldom found with the glass lid intact. Copyright G & S Thistlewood, 2008
4. From Eda Glasbruk in Sweden, this is the “Floral Sunburst” vase in cobalt blue. Copyright G & S Thistlewood, 2008
Do you have an article you’d like us to publish as a guest column in The Collectors Weekly? Let us know.
A really excellent introduction to carnival glass. The photos are awesome!
Thanks,
Jesse
About Carnival, if I remeber it was also call “Death Glass”. This I read in one of my books. Thanks for the awesome article.
Many thanks to both Jesse and Julia for your kind words.
Julia - you said you thought it was also called “Death Glass”. I haven’t heard of that name, but I can tell you that in Finland and probably Sweden too, they call it “POISON GLASS” - the reason being that some of the substances used for iridizing were highly toxic.
Hello, My mother has a Northwood Grape & Cable Banquet punch bowl dark blue. I want to know what the original type of Ladle was used with this? Thanks, Sylvia