Stork in Rushes
STORK IN RUSHES DILEMMA OF LONG STANDING
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STORK in RUSHES PUNCH SET
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SUMMER DAYS VASE
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STORK in RUSHES PUNCH SET~~ What we are about to say will undoubtedly “upset a few apple carts” in an attempt to redirect your channels of thought. However, feeling that our opinion should be as worthy of consideration as those from other writers, following thirty years of study and close observance, we will proceed to state our case.
This subject has been bothersome for many years, since reading about the SUMMER DAYS vase in a small book written by an English author named Angela Hallam , published in 1981. She declared the vase to have been made by Davidson Glass Co. in Gateshead, UK. Her statement was to the effect that she had talked with a former glass worker who vividly recalled working with that vase. We have written an article or two on the subject over the years for various Club newsletters, experiencing no repercussion, and have decided to “get in touch with a wider audience” in voicing what is felt to be a gross error in identification and “matchmaking” for more years than it should have taken for authors and the majority of collectors to realize!
Somehow, as night follows day, many tend to accept blunders in what went before, along with the familiar “copycat” tendencies, inherent in nature. This sort of “follow the leader” acceptance, becomes adverse strategy. As we learn from the antics of government, an alteration of the `same `ole-same-`ole' can make for sweeping advances.
Alan and Lorraine Pickup wrote a very fine and expressive dissertation on this same subject for the San Diego Club newsletter in June 1996, conveying much the same dismay.
We call upon all those who have, in past accounts, erroneously “mated” this distinctive bowl, having the lovely Stork in Rushes design, as do the matching cups; to take note and finally admit that as prominent as the Diamond Glass Co. designs had become by the year 1915, they would not have discredited themselves in such a ridiculous manner as to perch that bowl atop an English-made vase called Summer Days~~ turned upside down!? Please take another look at this and then let's take a more rational approach. Why on earth would any such reputable manufacturer do such a thing? It isn't even logical to consider! If Diamond had intended that punch bowl to have a base, surely you can believe that they would have designed one having Storks and Rushes to compliment and ENHANCE , rather than use someone else's vase with a dissimilar pattern?
The Summer Days vase is actually quite a nice design in its own right, (in its upright position) and any bouquet would profit from being contained therein. PLEASE! Let it be such! That lovely punch bowl and the matching cups do not require, nor were they ever intended to have a base…….Let it go at that!
Let us not continue this charade any longer.
How many eons ago, that “unknowledgeable” person unwittingly created this “spoof” by placing those two unlikely pieces together for the first picture, none of us will ever know. No doubt in haste; mistakenly believing that since all other carnival glass punch bowls have a matching base, this one must have a base, although it was never intended, has led to much ill-begotten acceptance.
Surely, at this point, you must admit: reconsideration of a former foregone conclusion is warranted. It is long since time for us to allow EACH of these splendid patterns to stand apart for the recognition they so well deserve!
The original Big Four manufacturers had become the Big Five by the time a major fire destroyed the Diamond facility in 1931. Estimates of 20-25% of all carnival glass had come from that factory. They were quite capable of producing whatever punch bases were deemed necessary to meet their needs.
Every manufacturer creates a “differential” product to draw new attention from prospective buyers. Following the time Diamond took over from Dugan in 1913, this must have been one of their “innovations”: the first punch bowl without a base! Logically speaking, have we not all seen punch bowls without a base? Of course!
Stork in Rushes appeared in the Butler Brothers wholesale catalogs from 1915 through 1922, confirming it to be of Diamond origin. By far the most extensive of their carnival lines, 16 different items (shapes) have been documented. A few are quite rare, with most pieces available in only two or three colors. The punch bowls and cups are scarce in marigold and extremely so in amethyst.
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Stork In Rushes Pitcher and Tumbler with Lattice Band Design
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Lattice Band detail on some Stork in Rushes watersets and mugs have been speculated to derive from Diamond, with the Beaded version made by Northwood. However, both versions appear in the same assortment of the Spring 1915 Butler Brothers Catalog issue, and the April 1915 Butler Catalog, leaving no doubt that both designs are from Diamond Glass Company.
As you read the ads shown below, notice that the price increased three cents per dozen from the time the Spring edition was printed, and the April issue was made public. Times never change do they? (smile) Somebody always wants more money!
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Spring 1915 Butler Brothers Catalog ad
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April 1915 Butler Brothers Catalog ad
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Stork in Rushes Mug
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8 in. (large) Berry bowl with Beaded trim.
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The Stork in Rushes mug having the Lattice Band border is probably more familiar to collectors than any of the other shapes in the pattern. Marigold mugs are not difficult to locate. Amethyst mugs are scarce, and lavender even more so. The cobalt blue can be called rare. A few Aqua mugs with marigold overlay are known, along with a light blue base color having marigold iridescence.
Two versions of water sets were produced. The Beaded trim sets are not as prevalent as those having the Lattice Band border. But none of the colors known are easy to obtain:
Shape
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Colors Made
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Water Pitcher, Beaded
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marigold, amethyst, cobalt blue
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Tumbler, Beaded
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marigold, amethyst, cobalt blue
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Water Pitcher, Lattice Band
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cobalt blue, marigold?
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Tumbler, Lattice Band
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marigold, amethyst, lavender, cobalt blue, aqua w/marigold overlay, light blue w/marigold overlay
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Beware: The Beaded version of water set was reproduced in marigold by L.G. Wright.
Quoting from the Pickup article mentioned above: “This pattern has been reissued by L.G. Wright Glass Co., a glass jobber, in water sets, table sets, and berry sets. Some of these sets are found signed with a modified Northwood underlined N in a circle. (See the Encore Book I by Dorothy Taylor which says some are signed with an underlined W. She also says, “Be sure you know what you are buying in this pattern if you are an old (carnival glass )collector.” Good advice. We were once offered a Stork in Rushes water pitcher from an overly ambitious antique dealer with the tail of the underlined W scraped away. He was not happy when I told him Diamond made Stork in Rushes, not Northwood, and his pitcher was a reproduction that wasn't made by either company. Be cautious in what you buy. The color and iridescence usually give the repros away, but the marigold ones look pretty good.” In conclusion; another Pickup quote: “the Diamond Stork in Rushes pattern will never be as popular as Northwood's Peacocks, but put them birds into a 400 degree oven for a few hours and with the right seasoning, they will both be equally as good.”
~~We'll share the wishbone with you on that one, Alan~~D/D Fry
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Stork in Rushes Handled Basket
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Stork in Rushes Spooner with Beaded design
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Hat shape from STORK in RUSHES Tumbler-same shape used to make the occasional Handled Basket.
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STORK in RUSHES Creamer in Lime Green found in Tonitown, Ark. in June 2005.
Courtesy-Cleo and Jerry Kudlac
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The original berry set, punch set, and table set were made in marigold and amethyst.
A hat shape pulled from the tumbler moulds is found in marigold and amethyst, and a handled basket (clear handle), fashioned from a tumbler can be found.
Dean& Diane Fry~~4/04
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You can overcome negative thinking. No matter who you are or what your circumstances, there's always much to be grateful for. Think about God's love for you. Praise Him for His providential care. Then, instead of complaining about thorns, you'll be thankful for the roses.~Richard De Haan
Should you care to contact the Frys, their email address is:
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