Topic: British glass advertising goods — a new supplier identified?

[Bernard C]

Just in, a standard 4½" x 3" advertising pw, vertical (portrait) orientation, sandblasted lettering filled with colour on a black background, each line centred:

THE / UNITED / YEAST CO. LTD. / EVERYTHING / FOR THE TRADE / [adjustable perpetual calendar] / "UNECOL HOUSE" / YORK STREET, LEEDS. / 'Phone: LEEDS / 29544 (5 LINES).

Here it is again in b/w:

THE / UNITED / YEAST CO. LTD. / EVERYTHING / FOR THE TRADE / [adjustable perpetual calendar] / "UNECOL HOUSE" / YORK STREET, LEEDS. / 'Phone: LEEDS / 29544 (5 LINES).

The telephone number should provide a dating window.   Looks to me late '30s at the earliest, more likely early post-war.

Incorporated in the cardboard base is the slider for the calendar, and on the base is the maker's label, gold-coloured (not metallic) lettering with a gold border on a green background, each line centred:

SIGNS, FACIAS & ADVERTISING NOVELTIES / LONDON SANDBLAST DECORATIVE GLASS WKS. LTD / BURDETT ROAD, LONDON. E.3

British glass advertising goods are not too well documented.   RegiCor / Corfield is associated with both Nazeing (See Timberlake) and Davidson (See Stewart & Stewart).   This pw seems to be by a different company, or was it somehow connected to the RegiCor operation, perhaps with Regicor acting as factors, commissioning the likes of Davidson, Nazeing, and the London Sandblast Decorative Glass Works to manufacture as appropriate, presumably along with specialists in other materials?

Has anyone more information?

Bernard C.  

[Frank]

A vert tough to document area as not only would many glassworks take such commissions, so to would decorating companies. Indeed several companies could be involved:

The client,
An intermediary such as an advertising agenct,
Transfer manufacturer
Mould maker
Glassworks
Decorating company or department.

Vasart had decorating contracts including Babycham glasses and the natural follow-up is via Showerings. But all you learn is that they have no records and can only tell you who is decorating them now. These contracts came via George Dunlop of Pirelli Glass and they probably had contracts for themselves... e.g. Guinness. did they also decorate China for Wades or did they just supply designs for transfers to Wades - the same motifs as on their decorated glassware. Did they also pass work to Nazeing who at one stage also made the same decorations as Vasart. There is a web of companies involved which makes a connection with Nazeing likely if not provable.

As with bottles much can be made from standard moulds that have removable embossing panels. The moulds could be specially designed, an own mould or from a mould makers.

The glassware could be from a different country to the decorating firm. Even if one could access the ledgers of a glassworks it is uncertain what it would reveal.

I have copies of ledgers from the colour supplier to Moncrieff during the 1930's and it only tells how much money was involved and when. No indication of what they actually bought.

A veritable minefield that heavy research would be able to dent but not resolve!

[Bernard C]

Thanks Frank.   Far too many variables / unknowns.   I think this is a good example of where you just stick to the known facts and avoid speculation.   As you probably realise, one reason I bought this pw was the maker's label, and I had not heard of the London Sandblast Decorative Glass Works before.

Prior to this, I had wondered whether the lettering on these pws was acid-etched or sandblasted.   Has this example solved this, or could both techniques have been used?   I have four advertising pws in stock, and the lettering looks similar, with a coarseness of surface that I would not have expected from acid-etching.   One dates from 1916–17.

Does anyone happen to know of a history of sandblasting?

Bernard C.  

[Frank]

Still no-one on sandblasting history?

Hadjamach illustrates stencil sand-blasted glassware beakers, plate 344, with one dated 1886. This of course in a chapter, 15, the history of sandblasting. This mentions the 1870 US patent of B C Tilghman. The machine being exhibited in Vienna in 1873.

As Adam has told us elsewhere, sand is no longer in use due to health issues, but alternative safe compounds are now used and sandblasting is generally used instead of acid etching - it allows a fine and very detailed decoration to be produced cheaply and quickly.

Hadjamach, p378, mentions fine figurative work on cameo and cased glass at Webb Corbett by C D Smith. Does anyone have any examples?