Part III

Carnival and Opalescent Vase Twins
of the Dugan-Diamond Glass Company

by Curculiosglass

Dugan's Spiralex Vase in Sapphire Carnival
photo courtesy of  bb4513 

            After 1907, many American glassworks reused or retooled old opalescent glass molds to embark on carnival glass production.  As a result, early carnival glass pieces occasionally have opalescent older "twins".  This guide is dedicated to such opalescent and carnival glass doubles.  This section, Part III, provides a pictorial guide to opalescent-carnival vase doubles of the Dugan-Diamond Glass Company.  Part I of our guide focuses on spectacular Northwood twins in opalescent and carnival glass.  Part II is dedicated to Northwood opalescent and carnival vases.  Part IV focuses on Fenton vases, and  Part V on opalescent-carnival Ripple vase doubles from the Imperial and Model Flint companies.  These guides were made possible by the many E-Bayers who came together to contribute photographs for this project.

Carnival and Opalescent Glass

          American carnival glass can be described as iridescent pressed glass produced between 1907 and the early 1930's.  Carnival glass was made by pouring molten glass into a metal mold; after removal from the mold, the glass was sprayed with metallic salts that gave it an iridescent luster.  The process of iridizing and coloring carnival glass was pioneered principally by the glass companies Dugan & Diamond, Fenton, Imperial, Millersburg and Northwood.  Each company issued distinctive patterns, and carnival glassware is now highly collectible.  The value of individual pieces is governed by the beauty and rarity of the patterns they exhibit; the scarcity of colors in which they appear; the quality of a piece's iridescence; its "mold strike" or pattern definition; and the piece's general condition, i.e., its absence of wear and disfiguring marks such as chips or cracks.

          The first opalescent glass pre-dates carnival, and many companies later known for their carnival glass first issued opalescent pressed glass in their fledgling years.  Early opalescent glass was created by adding bone ash to molten glass to produce a translucent milky quality.  A layer of such glass was then repeatedly fired and fused with a layer of clear glass:  this caused the edges of the clear glass to take on a milky appearance as well. When held before a strong light, such opalescent glass tends to display a fiery reddish opalescence.  The quality and value of a piece of opalescent glass hinges on its aesthetic beauty and color, the quality of  its opalescence, its rarity and its general condition. 
 

The Dugan-Diamond Glass Co.

         The Dugan Glass Company of Indiana, Pennsylvania, did not begin carnival  production until 1909, after it had been operating for a full five years.  Its early history is intertwined with the histories of other glassmakers;  as is related in Carl O. Burns' Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass 1909-1931 (pp. 10-14), when the National Glass Company purchased the early Northwood Works in 1899, Harry Northwood departed the grounds, leaving his molds behind.  Harry Northwood's cousins, Alfred and Thomas Dugan, stayed on, operating National Glass until 1903.  In 1904, the brothers purchased National and its molds and founded the Dugan Glass Company.  Between 1904 and 1909, Dugan issued an assortment of opalescent glass shapes and novelties.  Typical colors of Dugan's opalescent glassware were white, blue, green and "canary" (vaseline).  

         When Fenton Art Glass launched the first successful line of carnival glass in 1907, Dugan rushed many of its early molds used for opalescent glass into carnival glass production.  Among these were several vases:  Pulled Loop, Spiralex, Target and Twigs.  In the years that followed, other Dugan carnival vases borrowed from opalescent patterns as well, including Lattice & Points, Palisades (called Lined Lattice in carnival), Ten-Thirteen (Ten-Thirteen-R), and Twisted Rib (twisted Wide Rib).  Seven of these patterns are shown below; Twigs vases are discussed in a separate guide.

PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO
DUGAN-DIAMOND CARNIVAL & OPALESCENT VASES

Blue Opalescent Target and Peach Opal Carnival Target Vases
photos by s-prince and curculiosglass

      
Target Vases.  Opalescent vases:   These vases feature six vertical rods separating wide panels dotted with elongated ovals.  The mouths of the vases each have six flame points with jagged tips.  Opalescent Target vases are featured in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 146.  These vases, well-known to any carnival collector, were first issued in opalescent form by the Dugan factory in white, blue and green, in sizes ranging from 7" to 14".  Opalescent Target vases are very scarce.  According to Burns' Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass 1909-1931 (p. 14), Target vases first appeared in Dugan's 1907 catalog and were produced only briefly in opalescent glass. 

Carnival vases:  Dugan's Target vases reemerged in carnival glass in a 1909 Butler Brothers wholesale catalog.  Target vases enjoyed a long carnival production run -- of 14 years, until 1924.  In carnival, the vases may be 5" to 14" tall, and they appear most frequently in peach opal.  Squatty vases (under 6") are found only in peach opal, purple and white, while the standard size (6" or taller) is found in a broader array of colors.  According to David Doty's field guide, standard-size Target vases are scarce in amethyst, marigold and white, and rare in blue.  Horehound specimens are known.  Carl O. Burns writes that the prize color in carnival Target vases is a rare vaseline green with a marigold overlay.  One-of-a-kind iridescent examples exist in lime green opal and vaseline opal.  Dugan also produced Target vases in pink, colorless, amethyst and sapphire transparent (non-iridized) glass.

Dugan's Spiralex Vase in Blue Opalescent (left) and Sapphire Carnival
photos courtesy of  jeanne4277  (left)  and bb4513 

Spiralex Vases.  Opalescent vases:   These 8-ribbed vases are featured in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 139.  Opalescent Spiralex vases first appeared in Dugan's factory catalogs in 1907, also listed as Dugan's #1028.  These vases are tricky to identify, because they closely resemble another early opalescent Dugan vase called Twisted Rib (shown below).  The two can be distinguished, however, because while opalescent Twisted Rib twist upward to the right, Spiralex twist to the left.  Spiralex vases also have thicker ribs that terminate in knobby points.  The two vase patterns, however, were viewed as quite similar by Dugan:  according to Heacock in Dugan-Diamond:  The Story of Indiana, Penncylvania, Glass, p. 67, opalescent Spiralex and Twisted Rib vases appeared together in Butler Brothers wholesale catalogs from 1906 to 1910, advertised under the same description as "very beautiful twist panel pattern, wide vase, fancy shape tops, average ht."  Opalescent Spiralex vases, in order of current highest value first, were issued in canary, green, blue and white.  The blue opalescent vase shown here is 11" tall.  It has a 3 1/2" base bearing a molded multi-rayed star. 

Carnival vases:  Dugan issued its carnival Spiralex vases (shown above, and at page top) from 1910 through the early 1920's.  In carnival, these vases are also known as Dugan's #1028, and they closely resemble twisted versions of another carnival vase:  Dugan's Wide Rib (shown below).  Carnival Spiralex vases range in size from 8" to 14" according to Burns' Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass (p. 130), and are known in marigold, amethyst, white and a rare cobalt blue.  According to both Burns and the Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, 11th ed. (p. 247), carnival Spiralex vases are found in peach opal as well. Doty, however, disagrees about this color; he notes on his website that any peach opal "Spiralex" vase is simply a misidentified twisted Wide Rib.  Carnival sapphire Spiralex vases, such as the one shown here, are very scarce. The vase shown above is 10 3/4" tall with a 3 1/2" base.

A note on distinguishing carnival Spiralex and twisted Wide Rib vases:  Various authorities disagree about the distinctions between carnival Spiralex and twisted Wide Rib vases, causing plenty of confusion for buyers:  these disagreements reflect the fact that traits of opalescent Spiralex and opalescent Twisted Rib vases were commingled in their carnival counterparts.  According to the SECG, 11th ed. (p. 247), carnival Spiralex vases "usually" twist to the left -- but not always; a right-twister is shown at ddoty.com.  Similarly, a left-twisting twisted Wide Rib is also shown at Doty's website.  Ddoty.com also reports that carnival Wide Rib vases have wider ribs than Spiralex, and slight knobs at the top that carnival Spiralex vases lack -- the very opposite of their opalescent counterparts.  The best way to distinguish the two vase patterns is by the vases' bottom rims and bases.  Carnival Spiralex vases have flat collar bases measuring 3 1/2", while carnival twisted Wide Rib have 3 3/4" inch bases that slope gradually upward to join the vase neck. 

Green Opalescent Twisted Rib,
and Peach Opal Carnival Twisted Wide Rib
photos by curculiosglass

Twisted Rib.  Opalescent vases:   Opalescent Twisted Rib vases were made by Dugan in 1906.  Like opalescent Spiralex, Twisted Rib vases have 8 ribs; in opalescent glass, however, all Twisted Rib vases twist upward to the right and thus are easy to distinguish.  The vases are referenced on p. 154 of the Standard Encylopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed.  Vases measure from 9" to 14" and appear in white, blue and green opalescent, with green being the hardest to find.  The SEOG remarks that these vases are "a spin off of the Wide Rib pattern that has simply been worked with a twist".  This is not strictly true, however; Dugan's opalescent Wide Rib vases, also known as #1013, had 6 ribs and jagged flame points like Target vases.

Carnival Vases:   Dugan's carnival Wide Rib vases, also known as Dugan's #1016, were issued in 1909, according to Carl O. Burns in Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass, at p. 150.  These vases appear in both a straight and twisted form, in tall and squatty sizes.  The twisted versions usually twist to the right, but not always.  As noted above, carnival Spiralex vases are easy to confuse with twisted Wide Rib vases, and Wide Rib vases are best distinguished by their 3 3/4" marie bases that slope gradually upward to join the vase neck.  These vases appear in heights ranging from 4"-5" for the squatty size, and up to 14" in the taller sizes.  They appear most often in peach opalescent, and are commonly found in marigold, amethyst and white.  E-Bayer wrbowcal, who collects this pattern, has owned twisted Wide Rib vases in blue and green; Burns affirms that these colors were made, but that they are hard to find.  Burns notes that rare aqua and vaseline-with-marigold overlay vases exist as well.  Dugan also issued a colorless clear (non-iridized) vase that twists to the left; one is shown (under the name "Twisted Rib")  in the Standard Encylopedia of  Pressed Glass, 5th ed., which also records that Dugan issued a rare (non-iridized) amethyst left-twisting squat vase (pp. 288 & 455).    

Pulled Loop White Opalescent and Blue Carnival Vases
photos courtesy of  Glass & More @ Ruby Lane and antiquesatcamelot 

Pulled Loop Vases.   Opalescent vases:   Opalescent Pulled Loop vases are quite uncommon, and a find in any color.  Referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 117, opalescent Pulled Loop vases were first made by Dugan in 1906 and advertised as "Dugan #1029."  The pattern features six panels of intlerlocking upside-down u-shaped arcs or "loops," divided by six wide ribs.  Pulled Loop opalescent vases were issued in white, green and blue:  green is the most valuable, followed by blue and then white.  Heights range from 9" to 14".  Although the SEOG reports that vase are found with "at least two base sizes, 3" diameter and 5" diameter," we believe this is an error:  all opalescent Pulled Loop vases we have seen have base diameters measuring roughly 3 3/4".  Many "Pulled Loop" vases listed on E-Bay are really mistakenly identified Fenton Boggy Bayou vases.  Although the two patterns are similar, each column of interlocking arcs in Boggy Bayou vases has eight arcs, while Pulled Loop vases have only five arcs per column.  If you think you have a Pulled Loop vase, check it against pictures of Boggy Bayou vases in our guide on Easily Confused Vases. That guide aso provides additional pictures of Pulled Loop vases. 

carnival vases:   Dugan issued its Pulled Loop pattern in carnival glass under the name Dugan-Diamond #1030 in 1912.  By 1913, the Dugan Company had changed ownership and altered its name to Diamond, but this had little effect on the vases' carnival production:  they continued to be issued another 15 years, until 1928.  In carnival, unlike in opalescent glass, the vases are thus quite abundant.  They are usually found in peach opal or amethyst, and they range in size from 5" to 14" tall.  ddoty.com reports that base diameters range from 3 1/4" to 4".  Pulled Loop vases are a good find in a handful of carnival colors:  According to David Doty's field guide, marigold is unusually scarce in Pulled Loop vases.  We are fortunate to have the above photograph of a cobalt blue carnival Pulled Loop vase from an E-Bay seller.  The Standard Encylopedia of Carnival Glass, 5th ed., p. 204, showcases the same vase in blue, characterizing it as a "rare color."  White is equally hard to find.  Burns writes in Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass that extremely rare aqua opal, celeste and green Pulled Loop vases exist; a single carnival glass amethyst opal example is known.  Dugan also issued scarce pink, blue, amethyst and crystal (colorless) Pulled Loop vases in transparent (non-iridized) glass.

Opalescent Palisades Whimseyed Vase and Lined Lattice Hat Vase

photos by hookedonauctions and curculiosglass

Lined Lattice Vases.  Opalescent vases:   This Dugan pattern is called Palisades in opalescent glass, and it is referenced in The Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 106.  This comprehensive source does not say when the vases first appeared in opalescent, although as noted above, the Dugan company issued an assortment of opalescent patterns  from 1904 to 1909 -- the Palisades pattern thus presumably dates from this period.  The above whimseyed example (which looks like a dragon's drinking cup) was made from the same mold as the two other opalescent shapes found in this pattern:  stretched vases and novelty bowls.  The Palisades or Lined Lattice pattern lends itself well to opalescent vases, where the transparent lattices gradually decrease in translucence until they reach the vase top's opaque milky edge. Opalescent Palisades vases exist in four colors:  blue and canary are equally valuable, followed by green and then white.  Although technicallly not "vaseline" glass, green opalescent Palisades vases tend to fluoresce bright green under ultraviolet light.   

Carnival vases:   Carnival Lined Lattice vases were first featured in 1914 Butler Brothers wholesale catalogs.  According to Burns in Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass (p. 101), the first carnival vases in this pattern probably were issued before 1913, and they continued to be produced in the company's Diamond phase, after Dugan changed its name and management.  In the carnival version, the vase appears in three sizes:  squatty (5" - 6"), standard (8"-11") and a tall, swung size (14").  The top edge of the carnival Lined Lattice vase has nine flame points.  Vases may have rounded, spade-like feet, or squared feet; the latter are prone to base damage, and perfect ones are hard to find.  Burns writes that this pattern is uncommon in any color, including marigold, and that the vase is especially scarce in amethyst, blue, peach opal and horehound (pp. 100-101).  David Doty's field guide notes that carnival vases in white exist.  Dugan also issued Lined Lattice vases in clear, green and blue (non-iridized) transparent glass.  Additional information on Lined Lattice carnival vases and wonderful photographs of Lined Lattice molds can be found at the website of carnival glass authorities Glen & Stephen Thistlewood (www.geocities.com/carni_glass_uk_2000/Lined_lattice.html).

    

   Blue Opalescent and Marigold Carnival Lattice & Points Hat Vases
photos courtesy of s-prince and calaway2006

Dugan's Lattice & Points.  Opalescent vases:   This is a hard-to-find vase pattern in opalescent glass.  Also known as Vining Twigs, it was issued by Dugan in 1907 and is referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 90.  Opalescent vases in this pattern are usually short or hat-shaped, and are rarely pulled to tall sizes.  Their bases often bear an impressed flower design, as shown above.  Lattice & Points opalescent vases usually appear in white and are found less commmonly in blue.  According to the SEOG, green Lattice & Points opalescent vases may have been issued, although no examples have been documented.

Carnival vases.  Carnival Lattice & Points vases are scarce.  Vases appear in a ruffled hat shape and as taller swung vases ranging from 7" to 9" high.  Burns writes in Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass 1909-1913, pp. 98-9, that carnival pieces, like their opalescent counterparts, bear an impressed daisy impressed on the base.  According to Burns, carnival Lattice & Points vases are found in "an extremely light pastel marigold that almost borders on a clambroth color," as well as in white, amethyst, lavender, a rare peach opal and a very rare cobalt blue.

A green opalescent #1013 vase
with a rare peach opal carnival #1013-R vase.

photos by gailcat1 (left) and curculiosglass

Ten-Thirteen.  Dugan's Ten-Thirteen vases have 6 ribs separating 6 opalescent-to-transparent panels.  The 6 ribs terminate in flared tips with jagged edges identical to those found on Target vases. The Ten-Thirteen vase first appeared in Butler Brother's wholesale catalogs in 1905, and the pattern is referenced in the Standard Encylopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 55.  The green opalescent vase shown above is 8 1/2" in height with a 3 3/4" and a 36-point star. Opalescent #1013 vases also are found in shorter heights, with 2 3/4" bases that bear 40-point stars.  Ten-Thirteen vases usually appear  in green, blue and white; the SEOG records that the vases have been reported in canary, but SEOG author Mike Carwile relates that he has never seen an example.  We have noted that green #1013 vases sometimes glow bright green under UV light, betraying uranium content in the glass mixture; such vases tend to be a slightly yellower green than other non-fluorescent green #1013 vases.    Further information and additional photographs of opalescent #1013 vases can be found in our guide on Dugan's #1013 vases.

Carnival Ten-Thirteen-R vases.  The counterpart of Dugan's opalescent Ten Thirteen vase is the rare carnival 1013-R vase.  Like their opalescent #1013 precursors, carnival #1013-R vases have have 6 ribs and flared jagged tips resembling those of Target vases.  The bases of #1013-R vases measure 3 3/4" inches and bear 36-point impressed stars, or measure 3" and sport 40-point stars.  David Doty notes at his website that he personally has seen only two examples of carnival #1013-R vases:  a peach opal vase measuring 9" tall, and a blue vase that is 11 1/2" tall and decorated with lettering that says "Fair 16" and "G"  (ddoty.com/tenthirteenr.html).   Vases we have seen range from 8" to 13 1/4" in height.  The vase shown above is 8 3/4" tall.  Easily confused vases:   A variety of carnival vases frequently appear on e-Bay misidentified as 1013-R vases, despite this pattern's documented rarity.  To view additional photographs of #1013-R vases, and to read more about how to distinguish these vases from similar patterns, see our guide on 1013-R vases.

Guide Table of Contents

1.  Introduction         2. Northwood Vases         3.  Dugan Vases 

4. Fenton Vases           5. Imperial Ripple Vases

______________ o  _____________

Many thanks to E-bayers  antiquesatcamelot,  bb4513,  calaway2006,  gailcat1,  jeanne4277,  hookedonauctions,  s-prince and Glass & More at Ruby Lane dot com,  for generously contributing photographs to this guide.  Rights 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. Copy or type the seller's name into the blank.  To see our other guides on carnival and opalescent glass, click on GUIDE INDEX.