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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: ian.macky on March 15, 2022, 09:32:34 PM

Title: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: ian.macky on March 15, 2022, 09:32:34 PM

I've been trying to pin down a glass prism tile embossed "RICE'S ARISTO" and a recent search found something interesting: a small salesman's sample of a glass washboard using one of these tiles.  The ribs are too sharp for a washboard, yet this thing exists.  Does everyone agree that it's some sort of washboard, or could it be something else?  Does this thing make sense??  Perhaps someone made it as a child's toy using this prism tile?

(http://glassian.org/Prism/rices_aristo_washboard.jpg)

(http://glassian.org/Prism/rices_aristo_washboard2.jpg)

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: keith on March 15, 2022, 11:47:20 PM

Looks too small for a washboard, I take it you googled 'Rice's Aristo ?  ;D

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: keith on March 15, 2022, 11:50:43 PM

Could this be it ?
https://glassian.org/Prism/us.html#R

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: ian.macky on March 16, 2022, 12:28:42 AM

glassian is my site :) and that was my best guess for the source of "RICE'S ARISTO"... but now this washboard showed up.

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: keith on March 16, 2022, 11:36:39 AM

That's me stumped  ::) ;D

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: chopin-liszt on March 16, 2022, 01:50:20 PM

Might it have been used in textile and yarn making?
Or in food preparation? Descaling fish? butter patting?
Is it sharp enough to be a grater? Perhaps for nutmeg?

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: ian.macky on March 16, 2022, 04:20:37 PM

I found one more reference to these tiles, from an old ebay auction on picclick (https://picclick.com/6-Antique-Textured-Cupboard-Sun-kissed-purple-late-303540929418.html):

Quote

Take a look at these Sun kissed purple late 1800s manganese dioxide glass panes.
  These industrial panes measure
 5”X5”x1/4”
And are marked
RICE’S ARISTO
with embossed letters.
 These panes are where made to be used with lead seams.
 I have quite a few of these beauties.

The original auction and its pics are long gone but picclick (https://picclick.com/6-Antique-Textured-Cupboard-Sun-kissed-purple-late-303540929418.html) still has this thumbnail saved:

(http://glassian.org/Prism/rices_aristo_tiles.jpg)

Looks like a duck.  I'm 99% sure these were in fact ducks (prism tiles).  4"x4" was the common size, but there were also 5"x5".   What RICE's ARISTO means is still uncertain, and the toy/sample washboard just muddies the water.  It does look just like the typical washboard of the time, right?  The following is 18" x 7-3/4" x 1-1/4"

(http://glassian.org/Prism/glass_washboard.jpg)

And here's another:

(http://glassian.org/Prism/glass_washboard2.jpg)

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: ian.macky on March 16, 2022, 04:35:18 PM

Found it.  There's a James H. Rice Co catalog at archive.org (https://archive.org/details/artornamentalgla00jame) which specifically lists "Aristo Prism Glass".  I'll add this catalog to my library.  So I'd say the small washboard is a toy someone made.

Title: Re: Glass washboard salesman's sample or child's toy?
Post by: ian.macky on March 23, 2022, 02:43:02 PM

I made a new page for the James H. Rice Co (http://glassian.org/Prism/Rice/index.html) to document what I found about this company.