Opalescent Vase - Frosted Leaf & Basketweave Vase -  Little Nell Vase

ID GUIDE, Part 6:
MISCELLANEOUS OPALESCENT  VASES (1898-1912):

  Frosted Leaf & Basketweave and Little Nell Vases

A blue opalescent Frosted Leaf & Basketweave, c. 1901-1911
with a green opalescent Little Nell vase, circa early 1900's

photos by unclechamps

 

Introduction

        This is Part 6 of an eight-part guide series on American pressed-glass opalescent vases manufactured at end of the Victorian Era, around the turn of the century (1898-1912).  This section features two one-of-a-kind vase patterns:  Frosted Leaf & Basketweave, made by the Chicago Flint Glass Company;  and a vase of unknown origin, known as Little Nell.  To access other parts of this guide, use the links in the Table of Contents at the end of this page. 

        This guide series focuses on miscellaneous standard-size opalescent vases not covered in our guides on the Jefferson, Northwood, Dugan, Fenton and Imperial glass companies.  (To view our other guides, click on INDEX.)  These guides have been made possible by the many E-Bayers who have contributed photographs to this project.  Please leave feedback by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.

Photographic Gallery
of Opalescent Vases

9 1/2" Frosted Leaf & Basketweave whimsey vases
in white and blue opalescent glass, made by the
Chicago Flint & Lime Glass Co., c.1901-1911

photos by unclechamps

Frosted Leaf & Basketweave.  According to the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 5th ed., p. 186, vases in this pattern are "very hard to find".  The pattern was named by William Heacock, whose landmark work Opalescent Glass from A-Z shows a Frosted Leaf & Basketweave spooner, creamer sugar bowl and butter dish (pp. 62, 119, 121).  Heacock originally identified the pattern as a Northwood creation, but according to the SEOG, Frosted Leaf & Basketweave pieces are now known to have been made by the Chicago Flint glass company. 

Chicago Flint & Lime Glass Company of Chesterton, Indiana, was founded in 1901 and specialized in pressed opalescent glass.  Chicago Flint operated at full capacity until 1905 and thereafter produced glass sporadically until 1911, when an explosion closed down the glassworks permanently.  Chicago Flint issued the Frosted Leaf & Basketweave pattern in a variety of shapes, including the stretched vases shown above, with the slightly ruffled mouths, and shorter vases such as that shown below, with mouths pulled into six points:
 

A Frosted Leaf & Basketweave 7" vase whimsey
in white opalescent glass, circa 1901-1911

photo courtesy of author Thomas K. Smith

The vase whimsey shown above was found by E-Bayer fmfdaman and appeared on E-Bay in January, 2009.  The two Frosted Leaf & Basketweave vase whimseys shown at the top of the page come from the collection of E-Bayer unclechamps, which numbers more than 700 opalescent vases.   Also from that collection is the canary-opalescent vase shown below:

A canary opalescent Frosted Leaf &  Basketweave vase:
This vase has been stretched to a height of 13 1/2".

Frosted Leaf & Basketweave vases generally measure from 7" to 11".  The yellow vase shown above is the tallest documented, and measures 13 1/2".   

The Frosted Leaf & Basketweave pattern was issued in white, blue and canary opalescent pressed glass.  Canary opalescent vases fluoresce bright green under ultraviolet light.  This pattern also appears in table set pieces, and examples of a Frosted Leaf & Basketweave spooner and pitcher are featured in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 7.  Frosted leaf & Basketweave vases were "whimseyed" from spooner molds.  A whimsey is a piece pulled from a mold intended for production of another shape; whimseys were often one-of-a kind, or were issued in very limited numbers.

White opalescent Little Nell vase
photos by curculiosglass

Little Nell.   These little-seen vases have narrow bodies with smooth sides lacking ribs or panels.  The slightly-flared vase mouth of a Litte Nell vase features 8 rounded points.  The underside of the 2 7/16" base is smooth and patternless, but near the bottom of the vase, just above the base, are 8 impressed narrow, stacked rings:

Rings on the base of a Little Nell Vase
photos courtesy of curculiosglass

Little Nell vases are referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., (p. 93), which shows a photograph of a white example.  The SEOG's authors note that "Despite being very plain, this vase is still a very cute item.  Except for the threading above the color base, there is no design at all and whatever the vase has going for it comes from the shaping and fine opalescence." 

 
Green opalescent Little Nell vase
photo by unclechamps

William Heacock first documented Little Nell vases in Opalescent Glass from A-Z, pp. 76, 140 (fig. 422).  Heacock dated the vases to the early 1900's, but was unable to identify their maker.  Heacock and the SEOG report Little Nell vases in blue, green and white.  When held to light, Little Nell vases display a deep fiery-red opalescence.  The white and green vases shown here are 8 1/4" and 6" tall respectively.       

Click here to continue on to Part 7.  To access other parts of this guide,  click on ones of the links below.

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          Table of Contents - Opalescent Vases  (1898-1930)
          Part 1:  Jewels & Drapery vases
          Part 2:  Vases with honeycomb patterns
          Part 3:   Ribbed vases                                                                                          
          Part 4:   Vases with panels                                                                 
          Part 5:   Vases with ring and spiral patterns
          Part 6:   Basketweave and Little Nell vases
          Part 7:   Vases with maze patterns                                    
          Part 8:   Canary opalescent vases of unknown origin                                       
          
          Other ID Guides to Early Opalescent Vases (1898-1930)
          Jefferson Glass Co. Opalescent Vases    
          Opalescent Vases with Carnival Twins 

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Many thanks to E-bayers  unclechamps and  Thomas K. Smith (fmfdaman), author of Early Fenton Rarities 1907-1938 ,  for contributing photographs to this part of our guide.  Rights to all photos belong to the photographers, and pictures should not be used without their permission.  Text is (c) 2007, 2009 curculiosglass, all rights reserved.  To locate any E-Bay seller mentioned here,  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.   PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK ON THIS GUIDE BY PRESSING THE BUTTON BELOW.   To access our other guides, just click here:  GUIDE INDEX.