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Author Topic: Angus & Greener Design No. 117501.  (Read 3344 times)

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Offline Paul S.

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Angus & Greener Design No. 117501.
« on: February 26, 2012, 08:33:15 PM »
This company name saw the beginnings of Henry Greener's venture, in 1858, as an employer (together with James Angus), although on the demise of his partner in 1869, the company name changed to become the more widely known Henry Greener of Sunderland.       Registered Designs by Angus & Greener appear to be  few in number (something like eleven looking at the books, I think) between 1858 and 1869 - and after Angus' death Designs start to be seen in the name of Henry Greener only, from about the middle of 1869 onwards.
Unlike the later Henry Greener company trade marks of demi-lions - it would appear that Angus & Greener didn't register any trade mark at all.

The very first Registered Design from Angus & Greener is dated 21st December 1858 - No. 117501 - and is the item shown here  -  presumably some kind of utility table dish/container - heavy, and feels like half an inch thick in places, and amazingly these two are identical apart from the diamond lozenge being noticeably less clear on one.     The details read............'B' at top (for 1858)........'A' at left (for December).........figure '21' at right (for 21st)........and figure '6' at bottom (for Parcel No.)
I've almost no experience of diamond marks from the first period of Registrations -1842 to 1867, so can't really comment as to whether this mark is representative of how they look - from that period - but a bit surprised to see that (apart from being upside down) the details are in mirror image.    Is this a standard format for these earlier diamonds?

This may be of some use in the Glass Gallery list of Reg. Design Nos. etc. :)

Offline agincourt17

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Re: Angus & Greener Design No. 117501.
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2013, 08:48:10 PM »
The registration lozenge appears to be a ‘mirror’ image, Paul, because you are looking at it from the wrong side of the glass. It is not actually a true mirror image, simply rotated around a vertical axis, and if you rotate it around the vertical axis again (with the III at the top and the 6 at the bottom) – hey presto! -  it reads quite correctly (from the 12 o'clock position moving clockwise) B (year - 1958) - 21 (day) - 6 (parcel number) - A (month - December).

Now here is a pressed glass plate, 16.5cm diameter, by Angus & Greener in the same RD 117501 pattern (also bearing a raised lozenge for 21 December 1858 – Parcel 6).

I am struck by the similarity of this Angus & Greener design  to a design (for a pattern) registered by Peter Robinson & Edward Bolton of Warrington on 23 June 1856 - Parcel 2 (L - 23 - 2 - M) previously discussed you, Paul, and Roy at in the opening posts of a GMB thread at
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,40114.msg263288.html#msg263288

If I hadn't have known they were different registered designs, from a cursory examination, I would have assumed that the Angus & Greener pieces and the Robinson & Bolton pieces were from the same registration, (though close scrutiny reveals that the Angus & Greener design is two rows of unadorned ovals, whereas the bottom row of ‘ovals’ on the Robinson & Bolton pieces are more like squashed diamonds with bevelled edges). I suppose this is where the registration of minor detailed differences in a pattern gave legal protection against accusations of design plagiarism.

A few additional facts about Angus & Greener that you may find interesting:
Henry Greener was born in Sunderland (already an established glass-making centre) in 1820. At the age of 12 he was apprenticed to John Price, a Gateshead glass manufacturer. He was evidently successful, for at the age of 19 he was promoted to travelling salesman. He subsequently accepted a similar appointment under John Sowerby at the Ellison Glass Works and stayed in Gateshead for some years. In 1858 (the year of his first registered design) he returned to Sunderland, and in partnership with John Angus, a former glass merchant, he took over the Wear Flint Glass works. The partnership lasted for almost 18 years until the death of James Angus, after which Henry Greener moved, and built a new large glass works in Sunderland, of which he was proprietor.

Offline Paul S.

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Re: Angus & Greener Design No. 117501.
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2013, 01:55:50 PM »
Fred - thanks for the education re 'rotating around vertical axis' - something I seem to remember from a Friday night when I was a little younger. ;D
I agree with the apparent similarity of the Greener and Bolton designs, although as you say the obvious difference is in the form of the diamonds versus ovals running around these pieces.   There are other subtle differences in the shape of rim points, but you're probably correct in that the main difference was enough to avoid litigation for infringment of design copyright.

Thanks also for the additional note on Angus & Greener, very interesting, and it's this placing of our glass into an historical context and being able to learn about the progress of these factories that creates the background that makes it all come alive.         Don't think I'd have fancied being apprenticed at the age of 12  -  but that was the way of life in the mid C19 - tough and unforgiving - and you either shaped up or fell by the wayside.

Offline Paul S.

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Re: Angus & Greener Design No. 117501.
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2013, 03:26:15 PM »
I did mean to say there appears to be a year error in your first paragraph Fred  -  1858, and not 1958  -  perhaps the Mods. will correct. :) 

Offline Bernard C

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Re: Angus & Greener Design No. 117501.
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2013, 05:54:31 AM »
Please see http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,51884.0.html for discussion and photographs of the Covered Butter in the same Angus & Greener pattern.

Bernard C.  8)
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