Kenilworth Glass

The Rakow Library shared the following ephemera at the Symposium:

A Marshall Field Advertising Literature

If you can’t read the caption at the top it says “Colored Kenilworth Glass”. In part it also reads “Kenilworth Glass blends the art of the Venetian with consummate quality so typically American”. Note that Kenilworth is the name of a northern suburb of Chicago. Quite clearly this is Steuben glass. Interesting marketing. Do you suppose there were any paper labels marked “Kenilworth Glass”?

Beth Shaut of Corning had the following comments on this presentation:

“Our afternoon session was filled with fun with the Staff of the Rakow paper trail. The wonderful ads and materials they find is amazing and it can all be found in the library.”

Color Comment

Rande Bly of Birmingham, AL responds to the Symposium presentation of Dr. Harrie J. Stevens on Demystifying Colors. (Ed. Mr. Bly did not attend the Symposium. Further, the slides pictured in the Gazelle Gazette were just a few of a great many more slides)

“It is hard for me to stay quiet when the subject of color comes up. Report was given by Dr. Harrie J. Stevens, Professor Emeritus, Alfred University. As he reported four aspects controll color. Fourth being,” The skill of the artist/ scientist”. The first 3 are sience. They never change. The fourth is man. What are we saying here? Well the magic happened at Carder’s desk and the glory hole. You can put a machine on it all day long but if a skilled master glassblowing artist put his hands on it last you may see a color you have never seen before. So who was the greatest? Carder at his desk or Johnny Jansen at the glory hole? Makes no difference. It is chicken and egg argument. One excelles not without the other. When I was a child the argument was over who touched it last…. Yes that would be Johnny come lately.

“What about the subject of individual differentiation of color perception? No problem. Colors should be described as Eric Ericson did. He said they were Strawberry Red, Moss Green, Sea Foam Green. I think we all know what color Tomato Red, is. Hey, how about Watermelon or Lemon? The secret was to use existing items of nature to describe and represent color so that all people may be on the same page regardless of their perception. So even with color perception man has the final touch. He defines it by the words he uses.

This is not as complicated as people of science portray. What you see is what you get. There are many “old school collectors” that know exactly what I mean!!

“Simple is as simple does

Rande Bly”

The End Game

Bravo Bonnie Salzman, Richmond, VA! We must also treat our successors with respect and kindness rewarding them with praise for their accomplishments and discoveries and understand that someday that the ones that raise to the top will even know more than we do. Steuben is like a 5000 piece puzzle and all of us will be dead before the last piece is put in place. I can see them now putting the pieces together from the Gazelle Gazette. Debating over Musseline, Henna Alabaster, and the color red. Pass the torch with pride before it goes out on us. Time really is shorter than we think. My job here is close to being finished.

Rande Bly, Birmingham, AL