Carnival glass is an inexpensive pressed glass, made as both functional and ornamental objects, always iridescent and found in a wide spectrum of colors. It was produced in the U.S., Britain, Australia, and several European and Asian countries from the early 20th century until the present. Carnival glass gets its iridescent sheen from the application of metallic salts while the glass is still hot from the pressing, then re-firing the glass. Glass workers sometimes refer to carnival glass as "dope glass" because the process of applying the iridescent coloring to the surface is called "doping".
Contents |
History
Carnival glass originated as a glass called “Iridill”, produced beginning in 1907 by the Fenton Art Glass Company (which had been founded in 1905). Iridill was inspired by Tiffany and Steuben art glass, but did not command the anticipated prices and was subsequently discounted. After these markdowns, Iridill pieces were frequently used as carnival prizes and as promotional giveaway items. (The name “carnival glass” was not commonly used until collectors in the 1950s began to refer to it as such.)
The popularity of this use made this a very profitable line for the Fenton company, which produced many different pieces in over 150 patterns. Fenton maintained a position as the largest manufacturer and was amongst a very few makers who made red carnival glass. After interest waned in the late 1920s, Fenton quit producing carnival glass for many years. Due to a resurgence in its popularity, Fenton produces carnival glass today.
Most U.S. carnival glass was made before and 1925, with production in clear decline after 1931. Some significant production continuing outside the US through the depression years of the early 1930s, tapering off to very little by the 1940s.
Variations
Carnival glass is made in many translucent colors, primarily amethyst, marigold, cobalt, green, and red. It is also made in opaque white, called milk glass, and before the hazards of radiation were well known, it was made in semi-transparent or translucent pale green, called vaseline or uranium glass. Vaseline glass and uranium glass actually contain traces of uranium salts (uranium dioxide) within the glass, and can luminesce a faint green in reaction to UV light (blacklight). Other colors of uranium glass were produced in lesser quantities.
Carnival glass was produced in large quantity by at least Fenton, Northwood, Imperial, Millersburg, Westmoreland, Dugan/Diamond, Cambridge, and U.S. Glass, as well as smaller quantities by many smaller manufacturers. In addition, simple pressed glass was iridized by third parties as well.
Collectibles Market
Carnival glass is highly collectible. Prices vary widely, with some pieces worth very little, while other, rare items command thousands of dollars. Examples of carnival glass can be easily found in antique stores, and there is a very active market for it on eBay.
Identification of carnival glass is frequently difficult. Many manufacturers did not include a maker's mark in their product, and some did for only part of the time they produced the glass. Identifying carnival glass involves matching patterns, colors, sheen, edges, thickness, and other factors from old manufacturer's trade catalogs, other known examples, or other reference material. Since many manufacturers produced close copies of their rivals' popular patterns, carnival glass identification can be challenging even for an expert.
See also
 |
Look up carnival glass in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
References and external links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
