Tuesday, November 9, 2010

THE COLLECTING "GENE" - PART ONE

I do not know who was responsible for handing out the "gene's" when I was born but I think that they miscounted and gave me not only my collecting gene's but all of the ones left in the "gene pot."

I cannot seem to help myself. When I see beautiful things of supurb craftsmanship I simply fall in love. Many years ago my mother gave me a beautiful perfume bottle for my dresser. I think I was about 15 or 16 years old. Little did she know what she was starting. Some years later my daughter Kristen and I, entranced by the beauty of that bottle, decided to collect perfume containers.

Glass, porcelain and silver are some of the materials used in these containers. Many beautiful bottles were made in England and France as well as Czechoslovkia, by the master glass blowers of the late 19th and early 20th century. Our collection of glass perfumes falls mainly in two categories, those made in Europe,and those made in the United States. The third category in our collecting is those bottles made of porcelainThe bottles shown in this entry were all made by the
Gundersen-Pairpoint Glass Works of
New Bedford Mass. The bottle shown above is 15 inches
tall and is a master of hand blown glass with the
three controlled bubble balls as a base.
This "lay down" bottle with its blue ribbing and
floral stopper is also a beauty.
Guided by the designer Lloyd F. Cary
the glass blowers of Gundersen-Pairpoint
created lead crystal bottles of exceptional brilliance,
workmanship and quality.
Two more bottles of supurb quality.
These birds are perched on swirl bottoms, one
elongated and the other rounded both with
threading of red.

Another group of bottles with heavily ribbed

bases, threaded with red. Notice the elegant stoppers in

these bottles.

This grouping has blue trim. The bottles with the "fantasy"
stoppers are the most difficult to find in tact.
These stoppers are very fragile and often were
broken.

The fantasy of these bottles is just as beautiful
and interesting in the clear uncolored bottles
as in those sparked with color.

Several other American companies also produced interesting perfume containers. Closer to home, the Fenton Art Glass Co. of Williamstown, W. Va. and the DeVilbiss Co. of Toledo, Ohio also produced beautiful glass perfume containers. The DeVilbiss Co. was very prolific in producing atomizer's for perfumes.
The perfume bottle that sparked this interest is still on my bureau and is a much loved item. I hope that this entry has not bored you, as I would like to share some of the other items in the collection with you from time to time. The collection now numbers over 200 and has a wide variety of items.
A very busy week is in the making so I will stop for now. Hope all you have a wonderful week and enjoy this beautiful sunshine. How many more days can we expect like this? Remember this day when the sky is cloudy and dreary in the middle of December!
Doris








8 comments:

Rugs and Pugs said...

Doris ~
What an exquisite collection. They are beautiful! Thank you for sharing and I look forward to seeing more.
I do hope Eloise is also enjoying this gorgeous weather!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Doris said...

Lauren
Eloise has been outside all day laying in a sunbeam! She is a real sunbather.

Kathy (woolfind) said...

Very pretty Doris...

Julia said...

Your perfume bottle collection is most exquisite. Doris. Are you still adding to your collection?

I'm glad that you are having nice weather. Here it is still raining non stop. It is getting a bit depressing. On the bright side we're supposed to see some clearing up tomorrow. The river that runs by our house is quite high at the moment. I very glad that this rain did not come down as snow. It would have been a real disaster. JB

Cathy G. said...

They are truly beautiful and I always enjoy looking at art glass new or antique. Your collection must be breathtaking! Have you tried photographing them with the natural light from the window behind you. Stand between the window and the bottle with your back to the window and let the natural light be your lighting......really makes the glass sparkle. Would love to see more of your collection!
Cathy G

moosecraft said...

Those are some beautiful pieces you have in your collection! I could easily see how these have become a passion of yours! I've never seen such unique perfume bottles! Thanks for sharing!

weaverpat said...

Hi Doris,
The artistry in those bottles is just amazing!
They are so beautiful and delicate. Not the collection for people with cats. LOL!!!
Thank you for showing them and I hope you do more in the future.

Julia said...

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog Doris, We're finally drying off and the wind is blowing strong and the sunny days are at hand. I saw stars in the sky and the waxing crescent moon on my way home from the barn tis evening. A beautiful sight. My back is still a bit sore and the weather hasn't helped. Take care. JB