Mechanical Valentines

Thin paper mechanical valentines were popular in the 1940s. They had a single part that moved with the help of a tiny rivet of flap.

The thin paper reflected the war-time shortages and many of the messages were patriotic, combined with the “romantic” message.

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Kite Fliers Active For Very Long Time

“Go fly a kite” is something man has been able to do for a long time now, since kites were first invented about 2,000 years ago. Some records indicate that they were in use in ancient Greece, about 400 B.C. They also are known to have been flown in China for at least 2,000 years.

The kite made its way to Europe during the Middle Ages, brought back by the traders following the spice routes to the East.

They have been used in military reconnaissance, religious ceremonies, and scientific experiments. (Remember Benjamin Franklin?) And, of course, they have provided good leisure-time fun.

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The Snow Falls On Demand In A Snowdome

“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,” - and that’s particularly true if you collect snowdomes. Or, if you prefer, snowshaker, waterdome, snowstorm, waterglobe - known by a variety of names, the snowdome consists of a powdery, white material in a liquid, enclosed in a paperweight. When it is shaken, the powder floats down like snow.

Probably the first ones were exhibited at the Paris Exposition in 1878, since a report of that event says that seven French glassmakers exhibited hollow glass paperweights filled with water and a white powder. When the paperweight was turned upside down, the powder fell, imitating a snowstorm.

It wasn’t long before adaptations in technique were made which made it possible to sell these snowstorm balls as souvenirs.

They first appeared in the United States in the 1920s as imports from Germany. These early ones usually had a cobalt-blue base, with the souvenir line inscribed on the base.

The business wasn’t left to the German manufacturers for long, and in 1927, the first U.S. patent was filed. One of the interesting notes on this early patent was that the assembly process took place underwater, to make sure that the seal was tight.

Not surprisingly, by the 1930s, there were also imports from Japan.

Variations also began to appear in vast numbers by the 1930s. Bases were made of plastic, pottery, porcelain, wood, marble, stone or metal. Some were figural. Some had feet. They were tall and short, round and square.

The “snow” changed, too. It varied from ground porcelain chips to ground rice - anything white and lightweight enough to float in a liquid.

And the figures inside varied just as widely - pottery, wax, bone and copper were just a few of the materials used inside.

By 1940, a blizzard could be made from the number and variety of snowdomes available in the United States.

In the early 1940s, snowdomes could no longer be imported and an American manufacturer, William S. Snyder, founded the Atlas Crystal Works to produce them. According to Snow domes, by Nancy McMichael, Snyder’s wife hand-painted bisque figurines and his son mixed the “snow” from a combination of melted wax and ground camphor.

Since the 1940s, the numbers and kinds of snowdomes has continually increased, and they’re produced all over the world. If you want to keep your snow contained, in small quantities, a collection of snowdomes is the way to do it.

Donna Miller

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Scandinavian Glass Makers Proved
Worthy Of Copying

Much of the glassware found in homes today takes its inspiration from the Scandinavian glass companies of the early 20th century.

At the beginning of the century, the glassmaking industry was flourishing in Finland, led by the Iittala Glass Works. One of its chief designers was an architect named Alvar Aalto, who designed asymmetrical vases in a clear green glass. His designs and those of others at the Finnish glassworks were copied by young glass workers throughout Europe.

Sweden took the lead in glassmaking following World War I. The Orrefors Glass Works, which had started out making glass windows, medicine bottles and ink bottles in 1898, reached its peak after the war, specializing in well-designed glass for everyday use. The popular Ariel glass, with its embedded air bubbles, was developed at Orrefors in 1936. Two other fine Swedish glasshouses were Kosta and Boda. In recent years, the Swedish glasshouses have consolidated.

In Denmark, Holme gaard Glassverk was the leading producer of glassware. It began in the early 1800s as a glass factory established primarily to utilize the peat fuel on the island of Zealand. The first product of the company was green glass beer bottles. By the 1930s, Holme gaard had developed a reputation for fine designs in table glass and ornamental glass, both characterized by deep cutting and etched decorations.

American glass companies capitalized on the demand for this Scandinavian look, and foremost among these was the Tiffin Glass Company. In 1940, it introduced its line of “Swedish Modern.” Heading the design for the Tiffin pieces were craftsmen and glassmakers who had moved to this country from Sweden. What they produced did not copy the Scandinavian look, but used elements of it to produce some beautiful pieces in brilliant colors and interesting lines. Tiffin’s Swedish Modern pieces, especially its Empress line, remained popular through the 1950s.

Tiffin Modern, Mid-Century Art Glass, by Hemminger, Goshe and Pina (Schi f fer Publish ing) has excellent examples of this glass.

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