Imperial and Riihimaki - Part 1
(AT FIRST GLANCE )~ IMPERIAL and RIIHIMAKI ~ (LOOK-ALIKES?) - Part 1
TIGER LILY - by Imperial
Called #484 in the Imperial factory catalogs, and certainly one of the better “intaglio” water set designs, the marigold and helios examples are seen from time to time. Purple, and the aqua-teal colors are very difficult and expensive. Olive sets are equally desirable. Tumblers exhibit a 24-rayed star within the marie. Clambroth, cobalt, violet, and two-three tumblers in amber are known with no pitchers yet found in these colors.
This set was reproduced (with trademark IG)-in 1969-ice blue; `70s-white; '78, pink-marked LIG. These colors are easily discerned from the old, and have become quite collectible. Iridization is usually quite striking on these reproductions.
April 1912 is the first date in which TIGER LILY appeared in a Butler Brothers Wholesale Catalog. April 1915 was the last ad found in the Butler editions we had to work with for the Reprint Catalogs. April 1915 was the final ad date displayed in the Smythe Wholesale catalog, as well. Carl O. Burns provided that information for our research while correlating the Butler Brothers Reprint Editions in 1994.
Tiger Lily water sets were still being produced in October 1918, appearing in a Charles Broadway Rouss Wholesale catalog ad, alongside the Imperial Lustre Rose water set.
Ads for crystal examples extended well into the 1920's.
TIGER LILY Pitcher - 8.50 in. tall. Tumbler - 3.78 in. tall
TIGER LILY water pitcher on left. TIGER LILY VARIANT-somewhat smaller pitcher on right.
April 1912-first time Imperial TIGER LILY was presented in the Butler Bros. Wholesale Catalogs
TIGER LILY VARIANT - by Riihimaki of Finland
The diagram shown was taken directly from the Riihimaki factory catalog of 1939. This pattern is said to have been made as early as the 1920s in marigold and blue. It certainly is a look-alike of the Imperial version, except that the tumbler is approximately ¼” shorter, with a more squat appearance. It lacks the distinct collar base found on Imperial tumblers, displaying an extended flange on the base. There is a hobstar-like central design with a button-like raised center in the base. These sets are found in marigold and blue. A large and small size pitcher were sold in July 2004 when Seeck Auctions performed the ICGA annual Convention auction in St. Louis. Many Riihimaki patterns were included in this Rottschaeffer collection from CA.
Catalog # 5060 - tumbler, appears to have the flared top edge found on the Imperial tumblers, while the #5061 displays straighter sides, and what appears to be a wider band with no design at the top. One might wonder about the necessity for the two shapes? The photo showing two sizes in pitchers explains the need for the two types of tumbler. Notice the different design which appears on the base of the pitcher.
Resulting from the major effort extended by Bob Smith, a long-time prominent tumbler collector of Boston, MA, we can now place proper identification of this Variant with the precise manufacturer. His trip to the Finnish Glass Museum revealed truths which might otherwise never have been revealed. His generous willingness to share his knowledge is so typical of dedicated Carnival Glass Collectors - everywhere!
This Riihimaki-Finland factory lends credence to yet another couple of patterns which have been in question for a number of years. We will examine them in future segments on this site. As a direct result of Bob's trip, we FINALLY can call the manufacturer by name, rather than simply saying (it's European?) This information was first made public with a telephone call from Bob, early in 1997 while we still lived in San Diego. He provided copies of his findings for us to use in connection with articles we then wrote for the San Diego Club Newsletters in the months to follow. In making contact with the Museum Curator, from a phone number provided by Mr. Smith, Dean & I were able to gain more information to aid our research. We are pleased to make these findings available to world audience today.
TIGER LILY VARIANT Pitcher is 8.25 in. tall x 6.50 across top rim. 1900s RIIHIMAKI
1939 Riihimaki Catalog diagram
Dean & Diane Fry - 3/05
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