The Optic “Batavia Fair” Souvenir Vase
By Dr. Larry Keig
Neither Dugan nor Diamond produced carnival with molded lettering other than Brooklyn Bridge bowls. But both firms added hand-written inscriptions and decoration to a good many patterns and shapes post-production. The addition of lettering may have made possible a sale to a merchant, purchasing agent, or vendor who might not otherwise have placed an order, and decoration usually enhanced the appearance of Plain Jane patterns not possible in other ways.
Souvenirs were made with the names of small towns and villages, many of which are no longer on the map or sparsely inhabited, and for more heavily populated and prosperous communities in the U.S. and Canada. How these were marketed and to whom is, for the most part, unknown. Some were likely wholesaled to “five and dimes” and then sold to locals and visitors. Others may have been distributed as premiums or giveaways.
A precious few were commissioned by business and industry and for special events. These include a small town commercial enterprise, a regional metal casting manufacturer, organizers or vendors of an annual event in the little town where the glass was produced, and, as recently discovered, promoters of a similar yearly show quite some distance from the glass factory.
Previously-Reported Souvenirs
The most historically notable of the souvenirs are those for a Main Street shopkeeper in a college town in picturesque northeast Iowa, for a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, industry, for the Indiana, Pennsylvania, county fair, and, as we are learning here, for another late summer-early fall agricultural, domestic, and entertainment exposition. Those listed below are representative but probably not inclusive.
Ben Bear
The retailer was Ben Bear, owner- operator of a clothing store in Decorah, Iowa, which bore his name. The souvenir is a marigold JIP hat shaped from a Floral and Grape tumbler. It was made by Dugan, circa 1910-1912. Its story is chronicled in an article on Floral and Grape in the September 2018 issue (pp. 10-15) of The Carnival Pump.*
Indiana Foundry Co.
The amethyst Lattice and Points vases with Daisy interior and “Compliments Indiana Foundry Co.” inscription were also made by Dugan. With artfully applied lettering that runs from bottom to top, they were, until recently, the only known carnival souvenir on which the scripting was placed in this manner. A detailed account of the Foundry vases was reported in the September 2021 issue (pp. 6-8) of The Carnival Pump.**
Indiana Fair
The Indiana Fair souvenirs were made to commemorate the county fair in Indiana, Pennsylvania. They were produced by Diamond in several carnival and stretch patterns, shapes, and colors. The earliest known of these were made for the 1921 event, the last apparently for the 1927 expo. Reports on several of these were presented in the September 2019 issue (pp. 14-17) of The Carnival Pump.*** The story of one more will be told in a forthcoming issue of this publication.
The Optic “Batavia Fair 1921” Souvenir Vase
About as soon as a previously unreported Dugan or Diamond historically notable souvenir turns up, another surfaces.
Such is the case with an Optic vase with a beautifully painted pink long stemmed rose covering most of the front side. Centered bloom right is the “Batavia Fair 1921” hand-lettering. The inscription is, like that of Indiana Foundry Co. Lattice and Points vases, positioned vertically from bottom to top.
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Ingrid Spurrier’s vase features the hand painted rose design and looking into the mouth of the vase, showing the inscription, dated 1921, as well.
Besides the exceptionally enticing floral decoration and distinctive fair captioning, the identities of the giver (“Mother”) and recipient (“Hazel”) have been painted on above and to the right of the open rose. The significant calligraphic differences between the event and relational inscriptions (that for the fair skillfully and evenly brushed on, that for mother and daughter haphazardly applied and clumsily positioned) suggest that the fair messaging was put there at the glass factory and the names in a fairground’s exhibition hall or possibly even later.
The souvenir vase stands about eight and three-fourth inches tall, at the high end in size for Optic vases. Its top has hexagonal flat-ruffling, a treatment unique to Dugan and Dimond. It has a base diameter of two and one-half inches and a 24-point star pressed into the underside of the base.
Its surface color and iridescence are strong. The marigold overlay is dark and the iridescent colors rich and vibrant, much better than ordinarily seen on Optic vases and Diamond marigold in general.
The occasion for which the vase was made was most likely the Genesee County fair in Batavia, a community in upstate New York not far from Buffalo and Rochester. However, this is not a firmly established fact. It is also somewhat possible that it may have instead been produced for the Kane County fair in northern Illinois, just west of Chicago, or even for another similar celebration.
It’s noteworthy that the dates on the Batavia Fair vase and the earliest known of the Indiana Fair souvenirs (cobalt blue Apple Blossom Twigs and Windflower plates) are the same:1921. And the existence of the Batavia Fair vase means that the Indiana Fair souvenirs were not the only items made by Diamond in carnival and stretch for special events. One has to wonder if fair boards and vendors were targeted by the firm’s salesmen as part of a calculated 1920s marketing plan.
Typical Optic Vases
With only 14 barely raised interior panels and an unpatterned exterior, Optic vases are not normally a find one would e-mail, text, or call another carnival collector about.
Typical Optic vases range in height from around seven and one-half inches to about nine inches. Their bases measure two and one-half inches in diameter and have a large star pressed into the bottom.
Ingrid Spurrier shows her “almost amethyst” vase that she won at a Sheffield auction (photos are the auctioneer’s).
They are available in marigold, amethyst, and marigold over light blue. The marigold, while scarce, are seen more often than the other colors. Their surface or base colors are rarely bold and the iridescence is usually lifeless, characteristic of carnival made at the Diamond factory.
Optic vases aren’t often seen or offered for sale. That may be because they are undistinguished but may also be because they have been misidentified.
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The floral decoration and fair and familial captions have transformed an otherwise nondescript Optic vase into something distinctive.**** About the only way it might be prettier would be more color contrast between the pink blossom and the marigold overlay. Just imagine what the decoration would look like had it been set on a white or amethyst/purple background. But Hazel must have loved it just the way it was.
It would be valuable for researchers and the carnival community to know if souvenirs for other commercial enterprises, fairs, or special events exist. Readers who know of any are asked to report them.
Notes
*, **, ***Articles by the author on Floral and Grape (the Ben Bear JIP), the Indiana Foundry Co. Lattice and Points vases, and a variety of Indiana Fair souvenir pieces can be accessed free of charge at the International Carnival Glass Association website under “Articles” and at the Hooked on Carnival site.
****I am grateful to a fellow collector for calling my attention to the eBay listing for the Optic “Batavia Fair” vase.
Photos courtesy of Diane Highnam, Ingrid Spurrier, and Sheffield Auctions.
This article first appeared in the ICGA Pump in the December 2021 issue and is reprinted with permission.