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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: agincourt17 on May 02, 2013, 04:19:51 PM

Title: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: agincourt17 on May 02, 2013, 04:19:51 PM
A shallow, oval,  pressed glass dish (about 5 inches x 3 ½ inches) with a central rectangular pillar or column (open from the underside of the dish). The decorative detail is all on the exterior, and the pillar is pressed from the underside so that the flat top of the pillar has the words ‘Bryant & May’ when viewed from above.

The dish bears the raised Rd. No. 96945, registered by Davidson of Gateshead on 31 March 1888, a design for a decorative pattern often known as Richelieu by American collectors. In fact, presumably due to the physical limitations of the item, the top and bottom edges of the pattern have been quite truncated to fit onto the relatively narrow rim. The quality of the pressing is not of the best, and the rim has a couple of slaggy broken bubbles.

This is obviously a matchbox holder / ashtray promoting the well known match manufacturing company.

Although pieces with this Rd. No. are relatively common, the only pieces I have previously seen have been either standard tableware or decorative posy baskets, with lots of space available to display the flamboyant details  –  this is the first promotional / advertising piece that I have seen in this pattern.

Chris & Val Stewart have a section on Davidson advertising glassware on pages 131 and 132 of “Davidson Glass – a history”, and they show a round dish in the 1892 pattern (Rd. 176566) modified to advertise Sainsbury’s butter. The other advertising pieces seem to be modifications of much later designs.

I may well be, therefore, that this Bryant & May matchbox holder, is the earliest recorded modified Davidson pattern to be used for advertising purposes.

Has anyone else encountered this matchbox holder?  If so, has anyone seen coloured (transparent or pearline examples), and if so, do they have photos to share, please?

Has anyone come across other examples of Davidson advertising glassware other than the matchbox holder and the examples shown in Chris & Val’s book?

The only other example of Bryant & May advertising glassware that I have been able to find is an example by DG Ware, Stourbridge, and that is not entirely of glass (having a ceramic liner and a metal or bakelite top forming the match box holder column).  See http://www.matchstrikergallery.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Unknown.html
 
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: neilh on May 05, 2013, 05:03:58 PM
The company papers of Bryant & May can be found in the Hackney Archives. I guess if you're very lucky they might contain some relevant information. One of my ancestors married into a Manchester match maker company called Dixon, Son and Evans who eventually sold out to Bryant and May. The B&M archives contained a Carte De Viste photo of company owner Elijah Dixon, a rather colourful character who was largely responsible for building the New Moston area of Manchester. If the Bryant & May archives contain family photos of tenous interest then perhaps they may be reasonably extensive - I have not checked them myself.
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: agincourt17 on May 05, 2013, 07:13:32 PM
Thank you for the lead, Neil.
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: Bernard C on May 05, 2013, 10:37:04 PM
...   Has anyone come across other examples of Davidson advertising glassware other than the matchbox holder and the examples shown in Chris & Val’s book?    ...

No, but I'm always looking.   Only a few weeks ago I acquired a Jobling promotional ashtray with what might well be an error on it, and on my oddities shelf I have a Bagley advertising ashtray for a Knottingley bicycle shop.

That DG Ware reference trebles the number of advertising pieces they made known to me — the only one I knew about before was their Colmans DSF Mustard.

Unknown examples will continue to emerge as quantities made can be very small, and, until comparatively recently, such items were not valued by the secondhand and antiques trade.   Now, of course, they are considered by many to be star items in their collections, and they are also important historically.

Bernard C.  8)
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: agincourt17 on May 06, 2013, 07:23:41 PM
Have a look at these two examples of DG Ware advertising pieces, Bernard, before they disappear from the completed listings:

An ashtray advertising Samuel Thornley Ltd, Birmingham at
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DG-WARE-STOURBRIDGE-GLASS-ADVERTISING-ASHTRAY-SAMUEL-THORNLEY-LTD-Birmingham-/400473147447?pt=UK_Art_Glass&hash=item5d3e0f4837&nma=true&si=eNJDuguhaVfQtnY1etMkFVLTYBI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

There is a 1960 photo of Thornley’s premises at 213 Deritend High Street, Digbeth showing them as paint merchants and drysalters at
http://www.pbase.com/beppuu/image/92438446

Another ashtray, this time plus a wooden match box holder block, advertising Dewar’s  White Label [Whisky] at
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-ASHTRAY-DEWARS-Whiskey-WHITE-LABEL-DG-WARE-STOURBRIDGE-GLASS-/300866732065?pt=UK_Collectables_Breweriana_SM&hash=item460d0e0021&nma=true&si=eNJDuguhaVfQtnY1etMkFVLTYBI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: Bernard C on May 08, 2013, 07:51:31 PM
Grateful thanks.   Regarding DG Ware it looks as if I have had my eyes shut when it was around.   Nice to see a variety of advertising pieces — an excellent subject for a small collection.

Bernard C.  8)
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: Sid on May 30, 2013, 04:30:13 PM
And another with "J.Sainsbury's Pure Dairy Butters" in the base:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161029965761

Sid
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: agincourt17 on May 30, 2013, 04:43:58 PM
Thank you, Sid.

This is the piece referred to in my opening post:
Quote
“Chris & Val Stewart have a section on Davidson advertising glassware on pages 131 and 132 of “Davidson Glass – a history”, and they show a round dish in the 1892 pattern (Rd. 176566) modified to advertise Sainsbury’s butter. The other advertising pieces seem to be modifications of much later designs.”

I will seek permission from the owner to show copies of some of his photos on GMB as permanent reference.
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: agincourt17 on May 31, 2013, 08:16:29 AM
Here they are.

(Permission for the re-use of these images on GMB granted by dglazier).
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: Gowdod on December 24, 2017, 09:20:03 PM
Dear Agincourt et al,  here's a version in Rd 153858 hobnail  Bryant and May. Have fun.  Andrew
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: agincourt17 on December 24, 2017, 10:44:20 PM
Thank you for showing this latest Davidson/Bryant & May rarity.

Fred.
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: Paul S. on December 24, 2017, 11:05:30 PM
twas Christmas Eve in the workhouse...................         I must have been asleep in 2013, as I don't now remember this interesting thread.

Worthy of commenting relative to Bryant & May, is that the year of Registration of Davidson Rd. 96945 (1888) was by coincidence the same year as the industrial action by the match girls at B. & M. in the east end of London.
Not the first time these girls had resorted to striking to resolve issues such as working conditions, pay and of course the infamous 'phossy jaw' that could afflict those who handled the dreaded stuff, and which went under the more technical name of phosphorus necrosis - a problem that continued into the C20.              Various current media outlets tell us that we now have relative poverty  ...............    try reading contemporary Victorian accounts of working conditions, social deprivation and what was often a short life-span, particularly relevant to the B. & M. working conditions, and then say we have poverty in the U.K. in 2017.

For those who might not know, Rd. 153858 mentioned by Andrew, is dated 02.08.1890.

Fred - as far as Rd. 96945 is concerned, I take it from what has been said that this Registration was protecting the pressed design only, and not any particular shape?

If you would like copies of the TNA Davidson factory drawings of 96945, 153858 and/or 176566 - assuming we don't already have them - do shout and I will include these on my next visit to Kew.


Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: agincourt17 on December 25, 2017, 10:32:38 AM
Thank you for the interesting historical background to the B. & M. industrial action, Paul.

The design registration details for RDs 96945, 153858 and 176566 are already pretty well detailed online at
http://cloudglass.com/r18671890.htm
and
http://cloudglass.com/r18911900.htm
and I  will try and make sure that the links are added to the revelant entries on the GMB RD database.

Fred.
Title: Re: An unusual Bryant & May advertising piece by Davidson, Rd. No. 96945.
Post by: neilh on August 06, 2022, 08:01:54 PM
I saw this Bryant And May piece today at the Fountains Antique Centre, Honiton (didn't buy it). It had a different dish pattern to the two shown, a close knit basket weave style.