Above is a copy of an advertisement from the 1909 Butler Brothers catalog for the Northwood Swirl water sets. From left to right, the ad features Variants #4, #1 and #5.
Northwood’s Swirl is sometimes called Interior Swirl or Ribbed Swirl. There are several variations of the pattern, but all have one similarity in that the swirl pattern for both the pitcher and the tumbler is on the inside. There is no exterior pattern. All are blown moulded with the exception of Variant #7. Mostly found in marigold with only certain variants also found in green with a marigold iridescence on the top third only–a treatment Northwood called “Alaskan.” To join Fenton in making iridized glass, Northwood rushed victorian lemonade set molds into production. These were probably not produced for a great period of time as Northwood quickly developed new and more intricate molds for carnival glass. Thus, none of these variants are easily found today.
Variant #1: Tankard style water pitcher with three rings around the base with applied handle. Found mostly in marigold and occasionally in green with Alaskan iridescence.
Variant #2: Tankard style water pitcher, same as VT #1 but without the rings at the base with applied handle. Found in marigold.
Variant #3: Tankard style water pitcher in shape identical to the Northwood Dandelion tankard with applied handle. The bottom of the tankard forms a six sided bowl. Found in marigold.
Variant #4: Bulbous style water pitcher in a tear drop shape with applied handle. Found in marigold and has a crimped top edge.
Variant #5: Cylindrical style water pitcher, with a defined shoulder at the neck. Applied handle. Found in marigold and has a crimped top edge.
NO PICTURE of Variant #6
Variant #6: Bulbous style water pitcher in a true round cannonball shape with applied handle. Currently only one is known in marigold and thus no photo is available. Should anyone have a photo of this pitcher, please consider sharing.
Variant #7: The only pressed moulded swirl water pitcher. Identical in size and shape to Northwood’s Raspberry water pitcher. Handle is part of the mould. Found in marigold.
Variant #8: Tankard style water pitcher in shape similar to VT #3 but shorter and with a bowl shaped bottom and an indentation above the bowl with applied handle. Here is a whimsey vase made from VT #8. Found in marigold and green.
Variant #9: Bulbous style water pitcher in a tear drop shape which does not extend completely to the bottom. Applied handle. Found in marigold and has a crimped top edge.
Above is another variant of the Northwood Swirl tankard. Similar to Variant #3 in shape, however, the bottom does not form a six sided bowl. It is round. Could this be Variant #10.
Possibly Variant #11?
All the water pitchers above use the same tumbler. Found in marigold and occasionally in green.
Most tumblers are marked with the Northwood N, but some are not.