All You Ever Want To Know About Glass Elephants

BOOK REVIEW
For more than 100 years, American glass companies made glass elephants. Examples of these have now been collected in a beautifully illustrated book by Myra Coe-Hixson.

Glass Elephants, a 2004 Schiffer publication, illustrates pieces by major glass companies of the past, including Fostoria, Heisey, Imperial and New Martinsville. It also shows examples of factories still producing glass elephants, such as Boyd and Mosser. The Fenton Art Glass Company fits into both categories, having been founded in 1905 and still actively producing glass, including elephants, today.

Most of the pieces shown are figural, although there are a few examples of elephants formed into covered dishes, made as bottles and used as handles on pieces.

The book begins with an elephant covered dish made by the Aetna Glass & Manufacturing Company from 1883-1884. Named “Jumbo,” after the famous circus elephant then touring with the P.T. Barnum circus, it was a massive piece, weighing seven pounds and measuring 10 inches long and over 10 inches high.

With companies arranged alphabetically within the book, it ends with Wilkerson Glass Company, one of those still operating today. Wilkerson’s elephants are a marked contrast to “Jumbo,” measuring only a little over 2 inches high.

The first and last examples of the book also show the wide range of values a collector might expect to find: if one is lucky enough to find an Aetna elephant, expect to pay at least $450, even with a few minor chips. On the other hand, the Wilkerson elephants can be found for about $12.

Altogether, the book contains over 375 color photographs, interesting background text, and current market values. It should be of interest to anyone interested in glass figurines and the output of many of America’s finest glass companies.

Glass Elephants, by Myra Coe-Hixson, sells for $24.95. Check with your local bookseller or contact Schiffer Publishing at 4880 Lower Valley Rd., Atglen, PA 19310; phone (610) 593-1777 or shop the online catalog at www.schifferbooks.com.

Donna Miller

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Transferware

Patterned tableware is so common today that it is taken for granted. But there was once a time when only the wealthy could afford dishes with patterns on them. Each plate, bowl and platter was hand-painted by a skilled craftsman and a complete table service was a labor-intensive product.

However, in the 1840s, a printing process was developed that made patterned tableware available for the masses. It was called transfer printing.

In this process, a design would be etched on a copper plate. Ink was applied to the plate, and the plate was then pressed on to a special light paper, transferring the inked design.

The inked paper was next carefully placed on a previously fired piece of pottery or porcelain, a glaze was applied, and the piece was fired again.

The end product was called transferware, and the pattern was safely protected under the glaze.

Blue and white patterns have always been the most popular, and they were also the most plentiful for a practical reason - the blue ink produced the best finished color. However, reds (actually more of a maroon color,) purple, green, brown and black were also used.

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