Opalescent Vase Identification Guide:
Jefferson Glass Company, Part B:  Whimsey Vases

by curculiosglass

   

Jefferson Glass Company Blue Twister Vase
photo courtesy of rareandfair

INTRODUCTION

          This is Part B of our four-part guide on opalescent vases made by the Jefferson Glass Company of Steubenville Ohio from 1900-1906.  Part A  of this guide features six conventionally-shaped Jefferson vases.  Part C and Part D are dedicated to Jefferson's opalescent novelty and footed vases.  Part E  and  Part F focus on Jefferson striped and bulbous vases.

         This section of our guide features Jefferson's "whimsey vases".  Most opalescent Jefferson vases, such as those shown in other parts of this guide, were made from vase molds.  By contrast, a whimsey vase is stretched and shaped from glass poured into a mold meant for a different piece such as a bowl, dish or spooner.  Thus whimsey vases are unusually interesting and tend to show marked variety from vase to vase.  Traditionally, whimseys are thought of as pieces that the individual glassworker made for himself as a display of his special skill or inventiveness, and which he intended to slip home with at the end of the day. Some whimsey shapes, however, became so popular that they went into limited production -- the Tokyo vase shown at the bottom of the page, for example, was marketed by Jefferson in three colors.  Whimsey vases are at times difficult to identify, because the stretching of the glass often distorted the pattern.  Three Jefferson whimsey vases are shown below:  Iris with Meander, Tokyo and Twister. 

  
Photographic Guide to Jefferson Whimsey Vases

Iris with Meander pattern, as shown in
Feb. 25, 1904 ad in Crockery & Glass Journal

Iris with Meander.  This pattern was initially called "Iris" by Jefferson, but has since come to be known both by the names Iris with Meander and Fleur-de-Lis Scrolled.  The pattern was issued by Jefferson in 1904 in a variety of shapes including table, water and berry sets, plates, compotes, toothpick holders and salt shakers.  The March 3, 1905 Crockery & Glass Journal described the Iris with Meander design as "meeting a flattering reception... It is an exquisite, dainty line, and cannot fail to achieve popularity."   As shown above in an illustration from a Jefferson Glass advertisement in the same journal, the Iris with Meander pattern is characterized by a series of fleur-de-lis designs above the bottom rim; above these, and evenly spaced between them, is a series of leaf-shapes.  According to the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 5th ed., p. 189, Iris with Meander whimsey vases were pulled from spooners and master bowl molds.  In the whimseyed vases, the pattern is quite stretched, and yet the fleur-de-lis designs are still clearly discernible:

  

Iris with Meander whimsey vase, circa 1904,
with details of fleur-de-lis design and of vase rim
photos by curculiosglass

From a distance, the stretched leaf designs create a ribbed-vase effect, as shown in the photograph of the green opalescent vase above.  The above vase measures 13 1/4" tall and has a base diameter of 3 3/4".   The underside of the base sports a molded many-rayed star.  Iris with Meander vase whimsies were issued in blue, green and white; they are also among Jefferson's very few conventionally-shaped opalescent vases to have appeared in canary opalescent as well.   Canary and blue are the most valuable color in Iris with Meander vase whimseys, followed by green and then white.  (Jefferson's canary opalescent production is discussed in Part C of this guide).  Iris with Meander Whimsey vases are often confused with Cooperative Flint's Ray vases and Fostoria's Heirloom vases; for additional photographs comparing the three vases, see our guide on easily confused thin vases with panels.

Tokyo pattern, as shown in
March, 1905 China, Glass & Pottery Review

Tokyo.   Jefferson's Tokyo glassware first appeared in a January 26, 1905 advertisement in Crockery & Glass Journal.  Also known as Jefferson's #212, the pattern was issued in table, berry and water sets and many other shapes.  As shown above, the pattern features a fan-like design bordered on either side by circles rimmed with oval shapes.  Tokyo whimsey vases were pulled from footed bowls:

   Blue Tokyo Vase Whimsey, circa 1905 
with details of top design and base
photos by curculiosglass

Tokyo whimsey vases are striking and attractive.  As shown in the photograph of the blue opalescent vase above, the pattern is very stretched in the whimsey vases, and to great effect.  The lines forming the base of the fan design tower upward like a fountain and separate into flourishes.  Tokyo vases tend to be deeply ruffled, with opalescence increasing toward the vases' rims.  The vases also have an unusual, three-toed bases; from beneath, a Tokyo whimsey vase base looks like a rounded triangle and features a 30-point star (see above photograph).  Tokyo whimsey vases are found, in order of highest value first, in blue, green and white.  The vases are referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 5th ed., at pp. 164 and 205.  A note on Tokyo reproductions:  Many shapes made in the Tokyo pattern have been reproduced widely by contemporary glassmakers.  Notably, however, Tokyo whimsey vases have not been reproduced, and so if you've found one, it's safe to assume the vase is an original, made circa 1905.

Jefferson Bowl with Twister Pattern
photo courtesy of glassladyceg

Twister.   Jefferson issued three shapes in the Twister pattern, all from the same mold:  bowls, plates and vases whimseyed from bowls and plates.  As shown above in the photograph of the 7 1/2" shallow bowl, the twister pattern features an impressed six-pointed star at the center of the base; around this, plain panels alternating with striped panels twist outward, creating the impression the the entire pattern is whirling like a twister.   According to the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 5th ed.,  p. 205, Twister vases pulled from such bowls are scarce.  As shown in the photograph at page top and directly below, Twister vases feature columns of clear panels separated by striped panels.  The clear and striped panels are demarcated by thin ribs.  The narrow stripes on the striped panels "twist" to the side, so that they are not perfectly parallel to the ribs and panels:

A scarce Twister vhimsey vase, circa 1908 
with details of rib design and "twisted" stripes
photos by curculiosglass and rareandfair

Twister vases first appeared in 1908 Butler Brothers wholesale catalogs. The vases are found in white, green and blue; they are a good find in any color, but are most valuable in blue or green. The vase shown above is 11 1/4" high with a 3 1/2" base.  Similar Patterns:  There are many opalescent ribbed vases that resemble Twister vases on cursory inspection.  Twister vases, however, are easily distinguished by viewing the undersides of their bases.   The bases of Twister vases are distinctive:   like the Twister bowl shown above, they feature a 6-pointed star pattern. The bottom of a Twister vase is shown below.  To view other photographs of Twister vases and of similar ribbed patterns, see our guide on easily confused ribbed vases.

   

Base of Blue Twister Vase
photo courtesy of rareandfair

Other Jefferson whimsey vase patterns:   The Jefferson pattern known as Barbells occasionally is found in an unconventionally shaped vase with a bottom section that bells outward below a narrower mouth.  Jefferson's Astro pattern also appears in the form of bowls whimseyed into hats.  

Click here to continue on toe Part C of this guide, which shows Jefferson's novelty and footed vases.

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Jefferson Vase Guide Table of Contents

A. Conventional vases       C. Novelty vases         D. Jack-in-the Pulpits         E. Striped Vases         F.  Bulbous Vases

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        Many thanks to E-Bayers glassladyceg and  rareandfair  for generously contributing photographs to this guide.  Rights to all photos belong to the photographers, and pictures should not be used without their permission.  Text is (c) 2007 curculiosglass, all rights reserved.  To locate any E-Bay seller mentioned in this guide,  just click on "Site Map" at the bottom of your E-Bay screen, and then click on "Feedback Forum" at the right top corner of the large menu that pops up.  Type or copy the seller's name into the Feedback Forum's search blank.

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