Part IV.

Carnival and Opalescent Vase Twins from Fenton

by curculiosglass

 


A scarce white opalescent Diamond Point Columns vase
photo by jimsseeknsave

          After 1907, many American glassworks reused or retooled existing opalescent glass molds to embark on carnival glass production.  As a result, early carnival glass pieces occasionally have older opalescent "twins".  This guide is about such opalescent and carnival glass doubles.  Parts II and III focused on vases of the Northwood and Dugan Glass Companies.  This section, Part IV, is dedicated to vase doubles of the Fenton Company.  Part V is a pictorial guide to opalescent and carnival Ribbed Spiral and Ripple vases.  This guide was made possible by the many E-Bayers who came together to contribute photographs for this project.  Please leave feedback by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.

   THE FENTON ART GLASS COMPANY

          The Fenton Art Glass Company of Williamstown, West Virginia, pioneered carnival glass production, and introduced the first carnival glass to the market in 1907.  Fenton also produced a vast array of pieces in opalescent glass.  Unlike Northwood and Dugan, whose opalescent glass patterns predated the companies' carnival glass period, Fenton made most of its early opalescent glass contemporaneously with its first carnival, between 1907 and 1912. 

          An informative description of Fenton's early opalescent glass can be found in Fenton Art Glass 1907-1939 by Margaret & Kenn Whitmyer, 2nd ed. (2003), pp. 16-19.  Fenton's opalescent glass glass shared a number of patterns with the company's carnival glass.  These patterns included Beaded Stars, Blackberry Spray, Coin Spot, Fern Panels, Flowering Dill, Grape & Cable, Honeycomb & Clover, Kittens, Northern Star, Open Edge, Orange Tree, Peacock Tail, Plaid, Prayer Rug, Stag & Holly, Strawberry and Waterlily & Cattails.

          Fenton produced, in addition, five vase patterns in both early opalescent and carnival glass: Boggy Bayou, Diamond Point Columns, Fine Rib, Reverse Drapery and (arguably) Plume Panels.  All five patterns are discussed below.  Many present unique identification problems, because they are easily confused with other patterns from the same period issued by Fenton as well as by the Northwood, Dugan and Jefferson glass companies.  In addition, as is noted below, finding carnival-opalescent pairs in the last two of these patterns may prove difficult -- surviving examples of carnival Reverse Drapery and opalescent Fine Rib are extremely rare, and the existence of opalescent Plume Panels vases is now being questioned. 

          Fenton's opalescent colors:  Fenton's early opalescent vases usually were produced in three colors:  blue, green and a clear-to-white hue called crystal opalescent.  One of the vase patterns shown here was produced in canary opalescent, the bright yellow color that fluoresces green under a black light.  Fenton's Boggy Bayou and Reverse Drapery vases were issued in amethyst opalescent as well.  According to William Heacock's Fenton Glass:  The First Twenty-Five Years, p.25, and his Opalescent Glass from A to Z, p. 95, Fenton first issued amethyst opalescent glass as early as 1907 or 1908.  The Standard Encylopedia of Opalescent Glass, 5th ed., p. 97, notes that Fenton is the single company that produced amethyst opalescent glass in this early time period.  Amethyst opalescent is deep purple to mauve, and distinct from Fenton's later cranberry, plum and wisteria opalescent colors. 

  
FENTON'S EARLY OPALESCENT
AND CARNIVAL VASES

Amethyst carnival Diamond Point Columns vase
with a very scarce blue opalescent Diamond Point Column vase

photos by sundazeco101 (left) and hdw6100 (right)

Diamond Point Columns.  Opalescent vases:  First issued in 1907, opalescent Diamond Point Columns vases feature diamond points separated by three columns of five vertical lines each, as shown in the photographs directly above and at page top of this guide.  The vases are referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 48,  which characterizes them as "scarce" (p. 204).  The SEOG notes that for a long time this vase pattern was associated with Imperial Glass, but is now known to be a Fenton product that was once exhibited with other Fenton pieces in old Butler Brothers wholesale catalogs.  Fenton issued Diamond Point Columns vases in blue, green and white opalescent.  The vases are most valuable in blue and green, but are considered a good find in any color.  We are fortunate to have the above photo of a blue opalescent vase from an E-Bayer -- these vases appear infrequently on E-Bay.  The single sample photographed in the SEOG is a white vase that is 12" tall.  The white vase shown at page top is similarly 12" tall, and has a base diameter of  3 1/2".  The blue vase shown directly above is 12 1/2" tall and has a base diameter of approximately  3 3/8".  The Diamond Point Columns pattern was issued on vase shapes only. 

Carnival Diamond Point Columns vases:   Diamond Point Columns vases were issued by Fenton circa 1911.  The shortest vases measure 5-6" and  the tallest stretched ones about 12".  According to ddoty.com, the base diameters of all carnival vases are 3 1/2".  Doty's website lists squatty vases in marigold and amethyst; a green squatty Diamond Point vase measuring 6 3/4" with an unusual tri-corner pulled rim sold on E-Bay in December, 2007.  Fenton issued pulled taller vases in marigold, amethyst, green, cobalt blue, ice green, vaseline with marigold overlay, lime green and a rare celeste.  Diamond Point Columns vases are also found in clear (non-iridescent) crystal.  Reissues:  Fenton reissued swung Diamond Point Columns vases in amethyst carnival in 1973, and in iridescent lavender opal in the 1990's; reissued red vases also have appeared on E-Bay.  Reissued vases have the Fenton logo on the bottom. Diamond Point Columns carnival vases are referenced in The Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, 11th ed., p. 78. 

Easily confused patterns:  Diamond Point Columns vases resemble Northwood's Diamond Point vases, but are quite distinguishable on close inspection, because Northwood's Diamond Point vases lack the vertical columns that are the hallmark of the Fenton vase.  (For more detailed photographs comparing the two patterns, see our guide on easily confused vases).

A marigold carnival Plume Panels vase with 6 panels,
beside a similar white opalescent "Plume Panels" vase with 8 panels
photos courtesy of johnsjars and curculiosglass

Plume Panels.  Opalescent vases:   Plume Panels, a well-documented Fenton carnival glass pattern, features 6 panels of vertical plumes separated by plain panels.  The opalescent vase shown above right is similar, but features 8 panels.  We include this opalescent vase here, because for many years, such vases appeared under the name "Fenton Plume Panels" in authoritative resources on opalescent glass.  William Heacock first reported opalescent Plume Panels vases (see, e.g., Opalescent Glass from A to Z, p. 91), and subsequently, the vases were referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, whose 2005 fifth edition included a photograph of an alleged Fenton Plume Panels vase identical to the one shown above and described the vase as "rare" (p. 119).  We, however, question the attribution of such opalescent vases to Fenton; in a separate guide written in 2007, we noted that no clear documentation exists that Fenton issued this pattern in opalescent glass. The 2009 sixth edition of the SEOG no longer contains a Plume Panels entry (although the sixth edition still includes opalescent Plume Panels vases in its book values list, designates the vases as "rare" and ascribes them high values [p. 220]).  For more information on controversies regarding this vase pattern, see our guide on easily confused vases.

Carnival Plume Panels vases:   Carnival Plume Panels vases feature 6 panels bearing a design of a single feather quill with a rounded tip.  These panels are separated by 6 plain panels.  As shown in the above left photograph of a marigold vase, the feather panels stop well short of the vase's rim:  according to Marion Hartung in Eighth Book of Carnival Glass (1968), p. 22,  "the six vertical rows have a definite beginning-and-ending... here we find a line definitely punctuating the upper end, short of the scalloped top."  Margaret and Kenn Whitmyer, authors of Fenton Art Glass 1907-1939, 2nd ed., p. 88, write that carnival Plume Panels vases were issued from 1915 to 1923.  The vases are known in amethyst, blue, green, marigold, russet (olive green), oxblood, sapphire blue, vaseline and red.  An ice-blue-opal carnival Plume Panels vase also surfaced at the January, 2006 at the auction of the Sunshine State Carnival Glass Association.  According to David Doty's field guide, green is the most common carnival color in this pattern, while marigold, amethyst and blue are "scarce".  Sapphire and vaseline are considered highly desirable, and red vases fetch exceptional prices.  Fenton Art Glass records that Plume Panels vases vary from 6" to 12".  A squatty Plume Panels vase under 6" appeared in red (with a base crack) in April, 2007 on E-Bay.  According to ddoty.com, however, the heights of Plume Panels vases seldom vary from the 10" to 13" range.  The vases have base diameters of approximately 3 1/2".  Plume Panels carnival vases are referenced on p. 215 of The Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, 11th ed. 

Easily confused patterns:  Carnival Plume Panels vases are sometimes confused with Northwood's Feathers vases and with Northwood's Leaf Columns vases.  Opalescent vases listed on E-Bay as as Plume Panels are often mistakenly labeled Northwood's Feathers vase.   Any buyer or seller believing he has an opalescent Plume Panels vase also should compare it to photographs of vases bearing the Inverted Chevron design, a pattern tentatively ascribed to the Jefferson Glass Company.  (To view photographs showing the distinctions among these various patterns, see our guide on easily confused vases.) 

    

Squatty lime opal carnival Boggy Bayou vase,
with a squatty blue opalescent Boggy Bayou vase.
The lime opal vase fluoresces green under ultraviolet light.

photos by *treasurehunter* (left) and morcovelo

         
Boggy Bayou.   Opalescent vases:  These are among the most striking of opalescent glass vases from the early 1900's.  The Boggy Bayou pattern consists of six rows of eight interlocking opalescent arcs; the rows are divided by narrow ribs.  The undersides of the vases' bases bear a distinctive geometric pattern (see below).  Opalescent Boggy Bayou vases were first issued in 1907-1908, and are referenced on p. 26 of the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed.  Vases appear in both squatty and standard sizes, usually ranging from 5" to 13" tall.  (The squatty blue opalescent vase shown above measures 5 5/8", and the amethyst opalescent vase shown below is 11 1/4"; ).  Both squatty and tall opalescent Boggy Bayou vases have bases with 3 1/2" diameters.  The opalescent vases are found in amethyst, blue, green and white.  Blue vases appear in two shades:  in a pure blue (shown above) and, less commonly, in a pale blue with a violet tint to it.  All colors set off the attractive Boggy Bayou pattern well, and all tend to sell quickly on E-Bay.  Amethyst vases (shown below, right) are an especially good find; as noted at the top of this guide page, this color was quite unusual in the first decade of the 20th Century.  It is also notable that although opalescent Boggy Bayou vases were not made in the fluorescent yellowish color known as "canary" or "vaseline," opalescent green Boggy Bayou vases tend to glow brightly under a black light.  Boggy Bayou vases are often confused with Fenton's Reverse Drapery and Dugan's Pulled Loops vases, as discussed below.

Amethyst carnival (left), and amethyst opalescent Boggy Bayou vases
photos courtesy of curculiosglass and  n_it_to_win_it

Carnival Boggy Bayou vases:  According to the Whitmyers' Fenton Art Glass 1907-1939, Fenton issued the Boggy Bayou pattern in carnival glass in 1910.  Like the opalescent vases, carnival Boggy Bayou vases feature 6 columns of 8 interlocking arcs, and have bases whose undersides bear a distinctive geometric pattern.  The carnival vases come in two sizes -- a standard height ranging from 10" to 12", and a squatty version ranging from 5" - 7".  (The carnival lime opal vase shown higher up on the page is 6", and the carnival amethyst vase above is 12").  Both sizes have bases measuring approximately 3 1/2" - 3 3/4" in diameter.  The Whitmyers note that marigold is an uncommon color in the carnival vase, and green the most common.  Ddoty.com and David Doty's A Field Guide to Carnival Glass record carnival Boggy Bayou vases in the colors marigold, blue, amethyst, lime green, lime green opal and vaseline opal.  A vaseline carnival squatty vase also appeared on E-Bay in 2007. Like Fenton's opalescent green Boggy Bayou vases, the lime green opal squatty vase shown in this guide fluoresces bright green under ultraviolet light.  (For information on distinguishing Fenton's lime green and vaseline carnival Boggy Bayou, see our guide on Fenton's vaseline carnival glass.)  Fenton reissued Boggy Bayou vases under the name "Vase #32," in transparent (non-opalescent and non-iridized) green and pink glass in 1932. 

Easily confused patterns:   On E-Bay, both opalescent and carnival Boggy Bayou vases often are mislabeled as Dugan Pulled Loop vases.  Although Pulled Loop vases are similar, they are easily distinguishable, because each column of interlocking arcs on Pulled Loop vases contains 5 arcs only, rather than 8.  The SEOG, 6th ed., p. 26, also cautions collectors to be careful not to confuse opalescent Boggy Bayou vases with the very similar Fenton pattern called Reverse Drapery, shown below.  Like Boggy Bayou, Reverse Drapery has 8 interlocking arcs.  In addition, as shown below, the bases of the two vases differ:  Boggy Bayou vases have a geometric pattern on the marie base that is strongly visible even when viewed from above.  By contrast, Reverse Drapery vases have a many-rayed star on the base that is not easily detectable from above.  (To view and compare multiple photographs of Pulled Loop, Boggy Bayou and Reverse Drapery vases, see our guide on easily confused vases.) 

A green Opalescent Reverse Drapery vase:
Only two known Reverse Drapery vases exist in carnival glass.
The vase shown above fluoresces green under ultraviolet light.

photo by curculiosglass

Reverse Drapery.   Opalescent vases:  Like Boggy Bayou, this is a stunning opalescent vase pattern.  The pattern features series of eight interlocking arcs separated by ribs.  Reverse Drapery vases such as that shown above in green were whimseyed from bowl molds and have "plunger" bases (i.e., a base with a clear glass band just above it).  As shown on the green vase above, vases may have slightly flared mouths with pointed flames.  Mouths also may be ruffled or widely flared.  Reverse Drapery vases have 3 1/4" bases and vary in height from squat vases under 7" to pulled sizes up to 14".  The vases appear in opalescent white, blue, green and amethyst.  Amethyst is the most valuable, followed by blue and green, which are equally valuable, and then white.  Like green Boggy Bayou vases, green Reverse Drapery vases tend to fluoresce yellow-green under a black light.  Reverse Drapery is referenced in the  Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., pp. 121 and 175.  According to Heacock's Opalescent Glass from A to Z , p. 93, the Reverse Drapery pattern was first issued circa 1907-1908 and is sometimes referred to as "Fenton's Drapery".  

Easily confused vases:  As shown directly below, Reverse Drapery is often confused with Boggy Bayou, and the two patterns are most easily distinguished by examining their bases:   a Reverse Drapery vase has a many-rayed star on the underside of the base, and a collar of smooth glass above the base.  (To compare multiple photographs of Reverse Drapery and Boggy Bayou vases, see our guide on easily confused vases.)

Fenton Opalescent Reverse Drapery Vase (white) and Boggy Bayou vase (green)
photos courtesy of  krd (white)  and  katyskloset (green)  

Carnival Reverse Drapery vases:     In carnival, the pattern is called "Cut Arcs".   David Doty notes that Cut Arcs is seldom seen on any shape in carnival, and that it appears generally only as an exterior pattern on bowls (see ddoty.com/cutarcs.html).  Only two known carnival Reverse Drapery vases exist; these were apparently whimseyed from bowl molds.  No photographs of the carnival vases are available, even on David Doty's website.  A carnival vase in this pattern would be a remarkable find for any collector.

A scarce vaseline carnival Fine Rib vase (left)
and a rare Fine Rib vase in canary opalescent glass (right).

photos by *treasurehunter* (left) and curculiosglass

Fine Rib.  Opalescent vases:  This vase in opalescent form is deemed "very rare" by the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 6th ed., p. 66 (which assigns the vase a $500 book value).  Fenton's Fine Rib vase features a simple pattern of narrow vertical ribs.  The ribs terminate short of the rim, which is circled by a narrow band approximately 1/2" wide.  The vase shown above right has transparent canary-yellow ribs alternating with canary opalescent ribs.  The band is canary opalescent with some clear glass showing along the edges, and the base is transparent deep-yellow glass.  The entire vase glows bright neon green under a black light.  The vase stands 10 1/2" tall and has a smooth, patternless base with a diameter of 2 7/8".  The authors of a SEOG record that they have seen Fine Rib opalescent vases in canary only, but that "there may well be white, blue and green examples that exist" -- although so far, none have surfaced.  The SEOG indicates that the vases probably were made between 1908 and 1910.  Evidence has arisen, however, that Fenton's canary opalescent Fine Rib vases may date from a later period.  (Further information on this topic can be found in our guide on Fenton vaseline glass.)

Carnival Fine Rib vases:   Fenton's carnival Fine Rib vase began production in 1911.  Also known as Fenton #1126, Fine Rib vases are ubiquitous in carnival glass.  According to the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass, 11th ed., p. 106, Fine Rib carnival vases each have six sections divided into groups of either five or six ribs, depending on vase size.   The vases appear in several sizes:  standard has a base diameter of 2 1/2" - 2 3/4"; large standard a base diameter of 3"; and midsize a base diameter of 3 1/4".  Heights range from 8 to 17".  Midsize vases are found in blue, amber and vaseline, and very rarely in amethyst and red.  Fenton's standard-size Fine Rib vases are found in every color imaginable, including truly unusual variations such as powder blue, moonstone with a marigold overlay, amber slag, amber opal, lime green opal and amberina.  According to ddoty.com, red is not uncommon in standard-size Fine Rib vases.  Doty's field guide records that standard-size vases are are scarce in amethyst, aqua, green, lime and vaseline, and rare in aqua opal, sapphire and vaseline opal. 

Detail photo of Fenton Fine Rib vase:
Note the distinctive band around the top rim.
photo by curuliosglass

Easily confused vases:  When trying to identify Fenton Fine Rib vases, look for the distinctive narrow band circling the top just beneath the rim.  Care should be taken not to mistake Northwood's Many Ribs opalescent vase for a Fenton opalescent Fine Rib vase -- the Northwood Many Ribs vase is similar but lacks the narrow band at the top.  Photographs of Many Ribs and Fine Ribs vases can be viewed in our guide on easily confused ribbed vases.  In carnival glass, the narrow band at the top of Fenton's Fine Rib vase distinguishes it from Northwood's Fine Rib carnival vase -- on the Northwood vase, the ribs run all the way to the edge of the top rim.  Please note as well that Fenton issued Fine Rib vases from 1927-1937 in green, pink and colorless crystal:  these transparent vases should not be mistaken for opalescent or carnival Fine Rib 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  hdw6100,  jimsseeknsave,  johnsjars,  katyskloset,  krd, morcovelo,  n_it_to_win_it,  sundazeco101 and  *treasurehunter*  for contributing photographs to this part of our guide.  Rights to all photos belong to the photographers, and should not be used without their permission.  Text is (c) 2007, 2009 curculiosglass, all rights reserved.   To locate any E-Bay seller mentioned here,  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.