Carnival Glass

This term describes an iridescent pressed glass, both functional and ornamental, that was produced in a wide variety of colors and patterns. It was made in the United States, Australia, and Britain in large quantities. Known as Iridill, carnival glass was first produced in the United States by the Fenton Art Glass Company in 1907. The iridescent sheen resulted from the surface application of metallic salts to the colored glass that was still hot from pressing and its subsequent refiring. The metallic salts reacted with the base colored glass to create the iridescence. Green, cobalt, red, marigold, amethyst and white are examples of the colors of the glass used as a base for the iridescent metallic salts. Some green glass, also called Vaseline glass, contained trace quantities of uranium dioxide and, subsequently, was slightly radioactive. The metallic salts employed to create the characteristic iridescence of carnival glass were those of metals such as gold, copper, cobalt, and uranium.

Inspired by art glass such as Tiffany and Steuben, Fenton began the production of Iridill in 1907. Initially, Iridill was priced to compete with Tiffany and Steuben but, because its quality was not comparable, it had to be discounted to sell. As Iridill’s price became more competitive it became popular as giveaways and prizes at fairs and carnivals. Collectors in the early 1950’s began to collect the variations of the product and called it Carnival Glass in recognition of its major use.

Fenton produced large quantities of Carnival Glass during its production period in over 150 patterns in many different forms and shapes. Northwood, Millersburg, Imperial, Cambridge and Westmoreland joined Fenton in producing Carnival Glass. Patterns and styles were rather freely copied between manufacturers. Therefore, unless marked, it can be quite difficult to determine which company manufactured a particular piece of glass.

A particularly useful reference for Carnival Glass is

Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass 12th Edition

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