Author Archives: d.b.

Souvenir Toothpick Holder – 1901 Pan-American Expo

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by in Unknown Pressed

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , ,

I don’t often purchase souvenir items, but this was so cute.  It is etched with the words.  According to the etching it was made in Buffalo New York in honour of the 1901 Pan-American Expo.  The other side has been etched with the name ‘Anna Bella’.

I have no idea who produced the glass.

According to Wikipedia:

“The Pan-American Exposition was a World’s Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied 350 acres (0.55 sq mi) of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood Avenue and northward to Great Arrow Avenue. It is remembered today primarily for being the location of the assassination of United States President William McKinley at the Temple of Music on September 6, 1901. The exposition was illuminated at night. Thomas A. Edison, Inc. filmed it during the day and a pan of it at night.

The event was organized by the Pan-American Exposition Company, formed in 1897. Cayuga Island was initially chosen as the place to hold the Exposition because of the island’s proximity to Niagara Falls, which was a huge tourist attraction. When the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898, plans were put on hold. After the war, there was a heated competition between Buffalo and Niagara Falls over the location. Buffalo won for two main reasons. First, Buffalo had a much larger population—with roughly 350,000 people, it was the eighth-largest city in the United States. Second, Buffalo had better railroad connections—the city was within a day’s journey by rail for over 40 million people. In July 1898, Congress pledged $500,000 for the Exposition to be held at Buffalo. The “Pan American” theme was carried throughout the event with the slogan “commercial well being and good understanding among the American Republics.” The advent of the alternating current power transmission system in the US allowed designers to light the Exposition in Buffalo using power generated 25 miles (40 km) away at Niagara Falls.”

There are also quite a few websites and/or web pages dedicated to the Fair including:

https://www.trsite.org/learn/the-pan-american-expo

https://panam1901.org/

https://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/collection/LIB-005/

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=042e7edfcde44931bfe185d5bce9ae4b

https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/peter.html

This Fair was obviously significant in the history of Buffalo, New York.

I just wonder who ‘Anna Bella’ was.

Update to ……Fostoria Candlestick Holder with the Beverly Etch

03 Thursday Sep 2020

Posted by in Fostoria

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Line #5097 (dig those spiralled stems) cocktail glasses with the Beverly Etch.

 

August 30, 2020

This colour of this candlestick holder a rich amber.  Very compelling.

It was produced by the Fostoria Glass Company between 1924-1953.

The pattern is line #2324 and the etch is #276 Beverly.

I love these intricate etches.

Fenton Line #100 Topaz Three Legged Bowl

29 Saturday Aug 2020

Posted by in Fenton

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

This little bowl has a very pretty colour.  I don’t know Fenton’s colour chart at all, but my understanding that this is their colour Topaz.  I have this great book – Colors & Patterns of Depression Era Glassware by Doris Yeske & Lyle Fokken – which refers to Fostoria’s ‘yellow’ glass being called ‘Topaz’.

In fact, Fenton is a company that is not well represented in my collections, or purchases.  Don’t know why.  I tend to lean toward Heisey, Cambridge or Fostoria glass lines and etches.

The brightness of the colour, and the opalescence around the rim caught my eye.  However the pattern is pretty too.  The photos may not show this well – but there are rings in the glass.  I don’t know if the pattern was named “Ring’ or ‘Rings’ or ‘Ringed’ by Fenton but I see online that it is often referred to by one of those names.

This piece does glow brightly under a blacklight.  These bright green pieces are often referred to as Vaseline glass.

The Encyclopedia of Glass by Mark Pickvet defines ‘Vaseline Glass’ as follows (p. 269):

“Glass made with a small amount of uranium oxide (usually 1-2%) that imparts a light greenish-yellow color……Vaseline glass was first made by the Romans; however it was not used in glass production in any quantity until the mid-nineteenth century.  The term ‘Vaseline’ was not used until about 1937.  Note that the English usually refer to Vaseline glass as ‘Lemonescent’ while it has also been called canary, yellow, uranium, topaz, magic, Canaria, Chameleon, Anna Yelloow, Annagrun, and Lenora Green.’