Wednesday, February 08, 2012

John Styler asked whether Steuben hand coolers were signed. Terry Smith of Signal Hill, California tells us what a hand cooler is:

Alan,

What Is a Hand Cooler?

“What is a hand cooler?” you’re probably asking. If you’re not a collector or an expert on the Victorian time period, you may not have heard the term. Chances are, though, that you’ve seen many a hand cooler displayed on a shelf, or used as a paperweight.

Traditionally, a hand cooler was used primarily by women to (you guessed it!) cool their hands. Hand coolers were made of cool glass or stone, and egg-shaped to fit in the palm of the hand. There is evidence of the use of hand coolers dating all the way back to the ancient Romans. In his Elegies,the poet Sextus Propertius wrote of the heroine Cynthia, “demanding the present of a peacock feather fan, and cooling balls for her hands.”

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they were the must-have accessory. Women were expected to maintain a certain image, and to present a sweaty palm to a potential suitor during a dance would have been the biggest social faux pas one could commit. In modern times, this would be like walking out of the bathroom stall with your skirt tucked into your underwear. Unfortunately, the layers upon layers of heavy, constricting clothing made it very difficult to keep cool. As a result, women made sure to have their hand coolers wherever they went.

Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/33666/103404-hand-coolers-victorian-accessory-modern#ixzz1ljiMjLqh

Terry Smith, Signal Hill, CA

But, I do not know if they were signed . . . only that at onetime they were the cheapest (less expensive) items in Steuben’s line. (and, new, over $100 each)

www.cardersteubenclub.org

2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.

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