Topic: A Rare Unfinished Cordial, As It Came From The Mold c.1860s, Show & Tell

[flying free]

There is no mention of Canary or uranium that I could find on word search (searching ref Leighton to Ford (?) letter 1839 and dating on the QV thread).

Page 27 there is a mention of what might be a gold ruby recipe?  but no specific date although prior to that it discusses recipes dating to 1846 and 1848.

Page 16 mentions Bohemian glass imports in reference to the visitor's observation in 1852 in Gleason's Pictorial (we discussed this briefly on another thread):
Quote
'Certainly examples of Bohemian glass were imported before 1852,
and some pieces in this style attributed to the Company must be European models brought
in to copy or study. '

[cagney]

 In the book, the sentence previous to the quoted part of the letter states "Leighton was inquiring about canary metal he had seen there". In my mind it certainly implies Ford was making uranium glass. What do you make of the phrase in the letter 'to make your canary metal"? The letters have discussed in an article in THE ACORN:Journal of the Sandwich Glass Museum, vol. 3[1992] by Jane Shadel Spillman "The Leighton-Ford correspondence ". John Ford being the nephew of William Ford who Leighton had worked for at the Caledonian Glass Works, Edinburgh. As of 1994  [the publication date of my source] the actual letters resided at the Huntly House Museum,Edinburgh.

[cagney]

  On the subject of gold ruby I should be more clear. The importation of gold ruby by N.E.G.co. was not in finished goods, but rather small cylinders {sausages} for re-melt. The earliest documented piece of American gold ruby is a newel post knob double plated in gold ruby over white and cut to clear c.1846, engraved on the metal foot/stand that is attached to it is "To Thomas Leighton. In appreciation by his fellow workers. The New England Glass Co". Likely marking his 20th year with the co. The new formula for gold ruby seems was perfected by his son John H.Leighton probably in 1848. John Became Superintendent of N.E.G.co. after his fathers death in 1849 by all accounts I have read.

  Uranium oxide not difficult to get here [U.S.A.] during this period. Many advertisements by druggist/apothecaries at that time.

  The earliest letter to John Ford is dated 1828  and the footnote says John Ford was then at Midlothian Glass Works in Edinburgh.

  Some photographs of a few pieces gold ruby in my collection. Probably post 1860.

[flying free]

no 25. under page 62 on this link mentions a  pitcher 5 inches in height, blown, ruby body with round foot and applied clear handle - about 1850-1855. What height is yours?:

https://archive.org/stream/newenglandglassc00tole/newenglandglassc00tole_djvu.txt

That's a lovely jug btw.  I love that shape and the circular foot. 

[flying free]

In the book, the sentence previous to the quoted part of the letter states "Leighton was inquiring about canary metal he had seen there". In my mind it certainly implies Ford was making uranium glass. What do you make of the phrase in the letter 'to make your canary metal"? The letters have discussed in an article in THE ACORN:Journal of the Sandwich Glass Museum, vol. 3[1992] by Jane Shadel Spillman "The Leighton-Ford correspondence ". John Ford being the nephew of William Ford who Leighton had worked for at the Caledonian Glass Works, Edinburgh. As of 1994  [the publication date of my source] the actual letters resided at the Huntly House Museum,Edinburgh.

I think the wording implies there was uranium glass seen there by Leighton on a visit to John Ford. Leighton calls it canary glass and then mentioned uranium oxide so it must be uranium glass.  I think Leighton's wording implies Leighton thought it was made by Ford and (if I remember correctly as this might have come from some other source I'd read) other wording mentions Ford told him he just put some uranium oxide in the flint batch to make it (I need to find where I read that). So the wording seems to imply Ford made the glass that Leighton called 'canary'.  But do we know this is true?

Also, why would Leighton have called it 'canary glass'?  Did that term 'canary' exist for uranium glass in 1839?



Also, the making of glass colours was/is difficult.  (see page 71 of the link below this para - Antonin Langhamer, The Legend of Bohemian Glass, where it is referred to as 'the secret' of making uranium glass ) so why would a glassmaker share their recipes with a competitor?  Isn't that a bit of an odd request? 

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Legend_of_Bohemian_Glass/UwLCa_h3hTEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=uranium+glass+1839&pg=PA79&printsec=frontcover

See also page 79 for info on Harrach development of uranium glass:
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Legend_of_Bohemian_Glass/UwLCa_h3hTEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=uranium+glass+1839&pg=PA79&printsec=frontcover


 Food for thought on why there are no examples of this Ford Holyrood canary glass around or if there are, where are they?
I'm also still curious as to how the glass excise tax would have affected the making of expensive coloured glass in Britain in 1839:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_tax

On a separate thought regarding the Queen Victoria 'topaz' finger bowls in the list of those items (listed in newspaper articles of the time e.g. The Mirror) for the Coronation banquet at Guildhall London in 1837  - I'm now not sure that the topaz colour of the finger bowls was a uranium coloured glass colour.  
(p.s. I'm going to be very embarrassed if the V&A suddenly produce evidence that Davenport Longport made that uranium glass finger bowl in 1837)

[flying free]

With reference to your question in your reply #16 on this thread, on when uranium glass production might have started in America:

I can't see much of the book in this link, just a few small pages however on a search, a 'snippet' of page 127 threw up the information that 'Uranium or "canary" glass 'was introduced in the mid 1840s.  I don't know whether that information is general for American glass or specific to a factory though as I can't see any more than the snippet info.
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/American_Glass/JW9yDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=uranium+glass+1830&pg=PA127&printsec=frontcover

[flying free]

In the book, the sentence previous to the quoted part of the letter states "Leighton was inquiring about canary metal he had seen there". In my mind it certainly implies Ford was making uranium glass. What do you make of the phrase in the letter 'to make your canary metal"? The letters have discussed in an article in THE ACORN:Journal of the Sandwich Glass Museum, vol. 3[1992] by Jane Shadel Spillman "The Leighton-Ford correspondence ". John Ford being the nephew of William Ford who Leighton had worked for at the Caledonian Glass Works, Edinburgh. As of 1994  [the publication date of my source] the actual letters resided at the Huntly House Museum,Edinburgh.

Just to add to my previous comments, another reason I'm curious  about this is that in the report in the Art Journal of the Birmingham Exhibition in 1849, the critics mentioned that both Rice, Harris and Bacchus showed glass 'stained by uranium'.  So we know in 1849 those two factories were producing uranium glass. But this is 17 years after the Queen Victoria bowls were apparently produced.  And the article talks at some length about the advancements in glass production and also  the colours now being produced (in 1849) and how they 'rival in beauty those which have been so long admired in the Bohemian glass'.

[cagney]

  The ruby pitcher is full size at 8/12 in. tall if Remember correctly [packed away right now].
  The relationship between Thomas and John was ongoing and I think reciprocal. In the letter Thomas sent John in April, 1828 he mentions sending him "a few of our moulded articles " which are made " the same as you make the square feet"."The mould lifts with two handles and opens at the corners". John get access to innovations happening in the U.S.A. Thomas get something to further his enterprise.
  I think the date for uranium glass in America can at least be documented to Boston&Sandwich in 1844.

  I bought the book in question through Alibris and have it in my possession.  I have read about and seen examples of American Lacy glass with a silver stain that produces a bright amber, never heard anything about uranium stain.
 

[flying free]

Presume because Thomas Leighton worked with John Ford at Midlothian and then moved to the States?  Then John Ford took over Holyrood Glass works.  So I guess that was how they knew each other.
I still wonder about that term 'canary' glass being used in 1839 letter though and whether it was specific to uranium glass? It's not a term I've seen used here.  I wonder if it was being used in the States to describe uranium coloured glass in 1839 despite them not producing uranium glass until the 1840s.


With reference the Art Union using the expression 'stained with uranium' I think they just meant 'coloured' with. The sentence was '... glass stained by  uranium, silver, copper and cobalt'.  This was 1849 and these were critics writing about Art so I'm not sure if the terminology used was how we would think of it today if you see what I mean.

[flying free]

In the book, the sentence previous to the quoted part of the letter states "Leighton was inquiring about canary metal he had seen there". In my mind it certainly implies Ford was making uranium glass. What do you make of the phrase in the letter 'to make your canary metal"? The letters have discussed in an article in THE ACORN:Journal of the Sandwich Glass Museum, vol. 3[1992] by Jane Shadel Spillman "The Leighton-Ford correspondence ". John Ford being the nephew of William Ford who Leighton had worked for at the Caledonian Glass Works, Edinburgh. As of 1994  [the publication date of my source] the actual letters resided at the Huntly House Museum,Edinburgh.

About the letter dated 1839 that Leighton sent to Ford asking about uranium glass and reference your question above, it seems Holyrood was making uranium glass in May 1841:

Source:  Jill Turnbull, The Magic and Misery of Glassmaking:  Researching the history of the Scottish Glass Industry
https://booksfromscotland.com/2017/09/magic-misery-glassmaking-scotland/

'...One early venture was the production of uranium glass, called canary or topaz. In May 1841, pot number one (of eight) in the furnace was charged with 545lbs of their clear ‘flint’ (lead) glass[1] to which 6lbs of ‘oxide of uranium’ was added. It ‘turned out very good’. '

I don't know why it's referred to as 'called canary or topaz'.  I don't have the book and do not know whether that is her interpretation of the colour name of uranium glass.  It seems strange for a glassmaker to name their glass colour as 'canary or topaz'.