Carnival glass

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Carnival glass is an iridized, colored glassware with a shimmering, rainbow effect. The name carnival glass didn't appear until the 1950s, long after this type of glass had gone out of fashion, and refers to the practice of giving away the glass as premiums at fairs and carnivals.

The great American carnival glass craze lasted from 1909-1919. The glass was an inexpensive imitation of L.C. Tiffany's "Favrille," and made art glass affordable in the American home.

The hot glass was exposed to a spray or vapor of metallic salts and then refired, resulting in its striking finish. Although the glass was pressed in molds there was still a lot of hand work involved, such as crimping edges or adding feet. Sometimes molten vases were swung or stretched out to produce an asymetical "swing vase."

Glassmaker Harry Northwood probably brought the secret with him from England to the United States, but the Fenton Art Glass Company, led by Frank Fenton, is credited with introducing carnival glass on a mass scale beginning around 1908.

There are over 1000 patterns of carnival glass, most made in the United States, although a small amount was made by companies in Europe and Australia.

The Big Five companies were Dugan (later Diamond), Fenton, Imperial, Millersburg and Northwood. Glass made by Northwood and Millersburg is considered of the highest quality. Northwood glass is easy to identify, as it is marked with an underlined N enclosed in a circle. Millersburg, which filed for bankruptcy in 1911, did not produce as much carnival glass as the other companies.

To determine the true color of carnival glass hold it to a strong light and look at the base color. Amethyst and marigold are the most common colors, followed by blue and green, followed by pastel colors and opalescent edges.

Grape patterns such as Grape and Cable are very popular. Patterns with peacocks are desirable and expensive.

Carnival glass enjoyed a rebirth of collecting interest in the 60s, followed by a tide of reproductions. The reproductions by Imperial, at least, are marked.

A standard reference is the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass by Bill Edwards (Schroeder publishing).

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