BBC - A History of the World - Object : Carnival Ware

Carnival Ware

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Jacqui's dish was won at a fair called Barwell Wakes by her father William Chilton. She believes it was won by her father during a shooting competition and she has the pair at home. (This fair was a village fair.) The dish is made of glass in a mould and the two halves were assembled together. The join is visible. The glass is green and irridescent with additional colouring that she thinks has been applied with the use of chemicals. It could have been made in Sunderland or America. It would be interesting to find out how the colours were applied to the glass ware. Currently it is used occasionally to hold sweets.

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1. At 19:36 on 23 September 2010, Glen and Stephen wrote:
A wonderful story. Jacqui?s dish is a great piece of (what is now) very collectible pressed glass, known as Carnival Glass. This piece dates from around 1910 - 1920, and was made in the USA by Fenton Art Glass Company of West Virginia. Many Carnival Glass items were imported into the UK: people eagerly bought them, and indeed some were given as prizes at fairs. The bowl was made by pressing hot, molten glass in a mould ? it was removed from the mould (in one piece), shaped and reheated; whilst still hot, it was sprayed with a liquid solution of various metallic salts which give it the iridescent effect that is characteristic of Carnival Glass. The pattern is called ?Leaf Chain? by today?s collectors.
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