CARNIVAL GLASS What is carnival glass? Carnival glass is iridized pressed glass that was manufactured
in the early 1900’s. As Bill Edwards put it in his fourth edition ‘Standard
Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass’">
CARNIVAL GLASS What is carnival glass? Carnival glass is iridized pressed glass that was manufactured
in the early 1900’s. As Bill Edwards put it in his fourth edition ‘Standard
Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass’, " carnival glass was the last hand-shaped
glass mass produced in America, and remains as a beautiful reminder of the glass makers
skills". Carnival was produced in an effort to compete with art glass. The person who
was unable to afford Tiffany would now be able to purchase beautiful glass at affordable
prices. Carnival was manufactured by applying metal salts to the glass prior to it being
fired. The metal salts would then melt and create the beautiful colors (iridization) found
on the glass. There were many manufacturers both in the US and abroad. Originally
manufactured in the early 1900’s, production continued until 1930. Then in the late
1950’s there was a resurgence of carnival. The Imperial Glass Co. started to
reproduce the glass. There are others that also produced the glass during this time. The
Fenton Glass Co. also started reproducing about this time, and still produces a line
today. The newer glass is different than the old carnival due to the different methods and
materials used to achieve the iridization. Many collectors feel that this reproduced line
of glass is not true carnival. Both Fenton and Imperial put distinctive marks on the new
glass so that there would be no confusion. Some of the other companies like Boyd and Smith
also marked their glass. But beware, there are those out there who are reproducing the
patterns. There are many shapes, colors, and patterns available to the collector. Some carnival
is still reasonably inexpensive while other pieces are very expensive. I have found that
if you look, you can find some great pieces at great prices. You may remember seeing some
in your grandmother’s home or if you’re a bit older, maybe your mother had some.
Many of today’s collectors started with a piece that was left to them by a relative
or bought a piece that brought back the memories of the glass they had seen as children.
Whatever the reason, collecting carnival glass is a never ending journey on the road to
learning. Every time I pick up a book or read about it I learn something. If you are
interested in finding out more about carnival glass, buy one of the many books available,
or check out http://www.woodsland.com/CarnivalGlass,
or send me an e-mail, I can help direct you to many sources of information. |