QUEEN VICTORIA DIAMOND JUBILEE

Dear Alan,

While digging through boxes of records at the Rakow Library, research whiz Bonnie Salzman unearthed microfilm of the Stevens & Williams factory pattern books. From the 1897 book, she isolated Design No. 23732, showing an elaborately cut crystal crown shaped scent bottle and stopper. (See the first attached image.)

The year 1897 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Records of the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle indicate that Queen Victoria received two scent bottles as gifts to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. We believe we have located one of them….The Senior Curator of Glass at the Victoria and Albert Museum kindly furnished photographs of the crown shaped scent bottle in their collection that was a gift of Queen Mary in 1936. Queen Mary’s husband, King George V, was the grandson of Queen Victoria. He had died in January of that year. (See second attached image.)

Residing in Elizabeth’s cabinet is a crown shaped scent bottle, which is identical in every detail with the V & A bottle, EXCEPT Elizabeth’s bottle is cased in glass of royal purple!….Frankly, it’s hard to be humble about this bottle! (See third attached image.)

We believe both Elizabeth’s bottle and the V & A bottle were created from Stevens & Williams Pattern No. 23732 in 1897 while Frederick Carder was chief designer there!

Thank you for your excellent coverage of the International Perfume Bottle Association Convention at Las Vegas last week.

Elizabeth and Frank Creech, Brevard, North Carolina

QUEEN’S CROWN

Stevens & Williams Factory Pattern Book Page

Jubilee scent bottle at Albert & Victoria Museum

Elizabeth Creech S&W Crown Scent Bottle

Steuben Crown Scent Bottle Shape #6450

2013 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 19-21, 2013. The festivities will begin with Frederick Carder’s 150th birthday celebration on the evening of September 18, 2013.

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