| That Orange Stuff Copyright G & S Thistlewood |
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| That Orange Stuff - otherwise known as marigold Carnival Glass, was the first Carnival colour to be produced. It is unusual in that (unlike most other Carnival colours) the base glass is actually clear and the golden orange colouring comes from the iridescence only. We know some collectors who only collect marigold - they adore it, and their entire display glows with the rich golden hues, contrasted against dark display shelving (which is pretty much how it would originally have been seen/displayed in the early 1900s). But marigold is a whimsical, and often capricious, colour. Once upon a time, marigold was marigold. And that was that. But then collectors (and auctioneers and dealers) began to differentiate between the shades and tones of marigold. Certain variations and depths of marigold are undoubtedly more appealing to the eye (and the check book). And so pumpkin marigold and pastel marigold became identified as Carnival colours (well, colour variations, really) in their own right. Pumpkin Marigold Like regular marigold and pastel marigold, pumpkin is also found on clear base glass. And there the similarity stops. For pumpkin marigold is deep, rich and loaded with vibrant dark tones, unlike the delicate shimmering of pastel marigold (see further on for a fuller description) - and unlike the flatter mid tones of regular marigold. It is richly loaded with reds and highlighted with purples, gold and blue-greens. The name describes it perfectly - pumpkin - a visual stimulus for easy recognition. Most manufacturers made examples of pumpkin - but they are not common. A top notch, vibrant pumpkin can raise temperatures at auctions faster than a heatwave in July. We know - we've been there (our "undoing" came in the form of a Pumpkin Poppy Show plate! You can see it in the photo above). Pastel Marigold Pastel marigold is also found on clear base glass. If you hold the item up to the light you will see that it has an orange colouring, but you will not notice the astonishing iridescent effects when you have it in that position. When the light comes from the front onto pastel marigold, that's when you will see the color effects begin. And when you hold it against a darker background you will see a magical transformation. Pink, purple, fuchsia, blue, green, aqua, turquoise, gold. Every one of them - in a shimmering, butterfly wing effect. Turn it this way and that and watch, transfixed, as the colors change. Perhaps the best way to begin describing pastel marigold is to say what it isn't, rather than what it is. Pastel marigold is not just a pale marigold. The two are as different as chalk and cheese. As far apart as a simple daisy and a full blown magnificent rose. Nor is Pastel Marigold a silvery, light marigold effect. Pastel marigold iridescence is full, indeed loaded, with colors. It usually has a satin surface or even a slightly stretchy effect, but there are also examples where it is brilliant and radium. In our opinion, pastel marigold is possibly the most exquisitely beautiful iridescent effect to be seen on any Carnival Glass. The photos of pastel marigold below will (we hope) show you exactly what it is like. It really is a case where a picture paints a thousand words. There is absolutely no enhancement whatsoever on the photos - they were taken in natural light, outside, here in southern England. On the left is a Northwood Peacocks plate in pastel marigold being held up to the sky. The light is behind and the iridescence is just an orange effect. Now look at the photo on the right. Still outside, but now the plate is held so that the sunlight strikes it, slightly obliquely and in semi shade. The shrubbery behind gives depth and enhances the colours of the iridescence. |
| Poppy Show plate in pumpkin marigold Northwood |
| To display pastel marigold indoors, choose a location with a dark background, and position your lighting carefully to achieve the very best, breathtaking effects. A number of manufacturers produced items in pastel marigold, but some seemed to be especially good at it. Northwood was a master, as the photos of the Peacocks plate show. Displayed on a dark wood dresser, pieces like this must have brightened many homes at the turn of the last century. Another manufacturer that perfected the art of pastel marigold was the Czechoslovakian firm of Josef Inwald (they had a reputation "par excellence"). Pastel marigold is a show stopper. It is breathtaking. It makes you gasp and can even cause temporary insanity! When you see it, you will have no doubt whatsoever in your mind. If you have a doubt.....then it's not pastel marigold. Pale Marigold Pale marigold does not have any shimmering multi-coloured qualities at all. The base glass is clear, but instead of the richer red and gold tones that you often find on good, strong marigold or the deeper, vibrant red tones of pumpkin, there is little beyond a flat pale orange effect. Nor is there the shimmering, vibrant effects that you can see on pastel marigold. No blues, no pinks, no greens. Nothing beyond a light, almost insipid, orange. Where did the term marigold originate? People outside Carnival Glass circles often refer to it as the "orange" glass, so why it wasn't called that from the start? Is it because marigold sounds more elegant? So, where does the term marigold come from? We checked through mountains of old advertising, but "Golden" is the usual term used, as well as Imperial's "Rubigold" and Sowerby's "Sunglow". The oldest book we have on the subject - "Iridescent Glass" by Larry Freeman, first printed in 1955 and again in 1964, mentions advertising from 1910. He goes on to say: "In 1910 we have 'azur', a blue grape design and 'marigold lustre'. Shortly thereafter we see red iridescent glass and 'helios' a green and silver iridized color." Rose Presznick, writing in 1966 referred to marigold glass and also mentioned that "The dark shades today are known as 'Oil Glass', because it looks like crude oil on water, with the sun shining on it." However, the answer may well be found in Minnie Watson Kamm's books (dating back to the 1950's). In her Book 4 ("A Fourth Two Hundred Pattern Glass Book") there is a reference to a pattern she calls "Marigold Windmill" - this being, of course, Imperial's Windmill design. In describing what type of glass she is referring to she explains that it was an imitation or approximation of Tiffany and Aurene glass, though in a much less expensive form. She then adds: "It was called 'Marigold Glass' at the Imperial plant from its bright coppery color but it now goes by such names as 'Carnival Glass', 'Bronzy Glass', 'Lustre Glass' and other less complimentary names." So ... maybe the nickname 'marigold' was first tagged by the Imperial workers and it just caught on. It certainly seems that this is the answer to the puzzle. Is it Always Cheap? No way! Sometimes a shape or pattern is very scarce in marigold - an example would be the Town Pump by Northwood. And sometimes the iridescence is so stunning that the price skyrockets (pumpkin and pastel marigold are usually the ones that leave collectors eating bread and water for weeks). But on the whole it is probably fair to say that marigold Carnival is usually more available - and thus usually more affordable - than other colours. Then again, Carnival Glass (and Carnival Glass collectors) are capricious phenomena. Who can say what the future holds? What is Clambroth? Opinion differs as to exactly what clambroth is (other than a fishy stew). Some collectors say it has a clear base colour and a slightly frosty yellowish iridescence. Others say it has a pale yellow or ginger ale base colour and a light marigold iridescence. Or any variation between those two extremes! Take your pick. Some superb examples were made by Imperial, for instance, their Pansy pickle dish is sometimes found in a show-stopping clambroth effect that can take one's breath away. And Peach Opal This is opalescent glass with a clear base colour and a marigold iridescence. The addition of bone ash to the glass batch produced opalescence - when the item was re-heated in the glory hole, the glass took on a white, pearl-like effect on the outer edges and sometimes on the thicker or more protruding parts of the pattern, too. Peach opal can be found in varying shades of marigold - from delicate and light, through to deep dark pumpkin - but there is usually only the one name for the colour. Peach Opal. The opal effects can also vary from pale and delicate (Fenton's peach opal is usually like this) through to deep and very solid (Dugan/Diamond). Below is a Ski Star banana boat shaped bowl in peach opal, by Dugan. |
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| All images and text are Copyright Glen and Stephen Thistlewood, 2006, and may not be copied without full permission from the copyright holders |