Topic: c.1850 Napoli Penny Licks?

[David E]

Whilst in Berlin, Patricia and I had lunch (on two days, as it was really good) at a particular restaurant. We were intrigued by the cover of the menu, which appears to show a Naples ice-cream seller dispensing ice-cream in what looks like glass penny licks.

I've uploaded two images from the menu cover. According to Patricia, the dress (most certainly the hat) is definitely from Naples and it would appear to date mid-nineteenth century. The close-up does show several penny licks arranged in the tray and just under the bucket there is some writing that is (to me) unreadable. No other clues as to where this painting/drawing comes from.

Anyway, I hope this is of interest and promotes some input!

[chopin-liszt]

He's a bit of a dodgy-looking character - unshaven, typical alcoholic combination of both flushed-and-grey puffy skin, and a really nasty look in his eye...
I'd be too scared to try his ice-cream even if I didn't know how unsanitary penny-licks are.
The caption appears to read (to me) Sir Gard e wino. Or Liz Gard e wino.

Beware of the drunk? 

[rosieposie]

Just for a laugh David,  have a look at this posting a while ago....it does go off at a tangent after a while,  but the first few pages are fun reading IMHO!!   

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,22372.0.html

Rosie,

[Paul S.]

David - firstly how lucky can a guy be............you get to swan around le Continent with an attractive woman collecting glass and eating in such romantic settings - how the other half live
Hadn't occured to me before, but the famous Wall's coloured ice cream 'Neopolitan' was obviously taken from the native icream sellers of that town.

Hope you won't object to a couple of pix of some 1d. and 2d. licks  - I don't think any of these are bigger than that, although apparently it's claimed that there were sizes up to 6d. - although they were sold as halfpenny, penny and twopenny sizes, generally.
It's possible that the third one along in my second pic could be a deception glass rather than a lick, but I could be wrong  -  most licks have a flatish bottom (to the inside), but occasionally one is seen that dips almost in a deception fashion.           Licks I've seen have all been very thick in the flesh  -  you could throw them downstairs all day long and they'd never break.

Although Patricia does comment about these things being illegal from about 1917 - I see that Charles Hajdamach comments that they were still going in the 1930's, in the U.K. at least  -  there are a few lines of interest in his '20th Century Glass'.   

Can't really think what else this 'hello sailor' guy could be selling - some of these 'licks' do look very much like jellies although can't imagine he was selling jellies, so guess it has to be ice cream, the down side being that in Continental summer temperatures ice cream would convert to liquid quite quickly, I'd have thought.       
Regret I can't comment on his attire - not my scene, but he does look Italianate.
Curiously, I notice that on your menu, the sellers glasses are upright but in the illustration in Hajdamach the glasses standing on the sellers barrow are inverted - presumably having just been rinsed.         Maybe the Napolese skipped the rinse programme

My examples show a variety of ground/polished pontils, gadget marks and from the mould finishes, and on the tallest cone shaped one, which is similar in design to those on your menu, I see that I've written c.1870.      My personal opinion is that mid C19 could be a tad early - but who knows?          Of course, we can't see the bottom (interior) of yours, but they do look rather substantial, so could even be 2d. licks, and might be weighty things judging by their apparent size - it seems that very little of the overall shape/size is given up to the ice cream capacity, and bearing in mind their thickness they are heavy pieces. 

I haven't looked at wiki - but dare say there is a lot of info on the net somewhere for these licks - but have google the wording without success .      

[David E]

Thanks for this Paul, Rosie and Sue. Just spoken to my "attractive woman" while we both looked at this thread. Originally I was going to write "who's that then?" but thought better of it!   

It's also worth taking a look at this web site, where penny licks appear to feature again in the second picture down. There's also an interesting drawing to the left showing an ice-cream machine.

Always worth posting some associated images, as new 'glassies' might wonder what the heck they are. We all have to learn somehow. I'm pretty sure the only one I had has a new home in Holland!

[Paul S.]

I believe that licks are sometimes confused with shot glasses, deception glasses and, apparently, firing glasses.          Perhaps yours is now being used as mini bulb vase, in Holland.                   Great pieces of social history though, and your link is very interesting.
must go now as there's too great a temptation for jokes on this one.