Glass Paperweights by Nancy J. Farrier

I love glass paperweights. They range from beautiful art creations to functional desk accessories to a marketing tool for businesses. As I research them, I became fascinated with the process. 

 

Nautilus Paperweight, Domed Style

 

The first known glass making happened in Mesopotamia or Egypt over 3,000 years ago. People made glass beads and used them for trade and decorative purposes. 

 

Glass paperweights were first made in France in the mid-1840s. Some of the glass factories competed to make luxury glass items such as cups, dishes, ink wells, and other desk accessories. They were from creating functional objects to making ones of great beauty to entice the public. Having a decorative glass paperweight on your desk spoke about your affluence.

 

In 1851, at London’s Crystal Palace, paperweights made their debut as an object of art and gained popularity. They became all the rage. For the first time, people who lived through dreary winters had the pleasure of a glass paperweight with brightly colored flowers inside. There were other natural objects that pleased people but those flowers were special.

 

The process for making these paperweights is a marvel in itself. Everything in the glass paperweights was made of glass. No matter how natural those flowers looked, they were still glass. 

 

Millefiori paperweight
Public Domain

One of the techniques used was millefiori, also called “thousand flowers.” These were canes made by layering molten glass into cylindrical shapes, then elongating the cylinder and slicing pieces off. The colors would then be seen in the paperweight. The millefiori paperweights were known to have one thousand of the tiny glass cylinders in them, creating a very colorful pattern.

 

Bigaglia paperweight

Pietro Bigaglia is credited with creating the millefiori paperweight. He used the bestmurrinas (the tiny millefiori pieces) made by Giovanni Franchin and his son, Giacomo. It took time but his new process caught on as word about the beautiful new paperweights spread.

 

Glass paperweights were all the rage for about twenty-five years, but in the 1860s they lost popularity. In the 1930s, paperweights gained popularity in two ways. First, in a commercial way as simple to make repetitive designs were produced. These were less expensive paperweights that were just functional. 

 

Muranno glass paperweight  

The other paperweights to gain in sales were the designer ones, produced by a certain artist. Well-known artists in Murrano glass, experimented with new techniques, making only a few of each design to drive up the price and desirability. 

 

Since then, paperweights have become more than just a means to keep papers on a desk. They are also a form of beautiful art that one can display around the home or office. They also make wonderful gifts.

 

Crystal Glass by Paolo Neo
Wikimedia Commons

While researching this topic, I came across the name of one of the original glass works who developed the glass paperweight, the Saint-Louis Glass Factory in France. Saint-Louis has been in the glass business since 1586. They were the first to develop crystal glass, using lead in the glass to bring greater clarity and beauty. I found this video of the Saint-Louis factory where they explain their processes. It is fascinating and lasts about twelve minutes. One segment shows how they make glass paperweights with the millefiori in them. I hope you enjoy the video. You can see it HERE. 

If you are interested in the process, you can also watch this video about making glass paperweights with flowers in them. I'm amazed at the intricate work. See the video HERE.

Are you a collector of glass paperweights? I love them and have often thought about collecting them. I enjoyed learning about their history and watching the videos where artists are demonstrating the process. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.

The evolution of School Supplies in America

 

Although most schools in America now start in August, my childhood summer break went on until after Labor Day. September was the first month of school. And some of our ancestors didn’t start until after harvest in October. An interesting school fact to me is the evolution of school supplies in America through the centuries.

                                                                Colonial days 

from Cary Graphic Arts Collection

Horn books were popular for centuries even before America was colonized. It got its name from the transparent sheet of bone that covered the parchment containing the alphabet encased in a wood frame. It had a handle for ease of use. These were passed down through generations. Just so you know, boys attended school and if girls learned to read, they learned at home.

      

 

                                                                Blab School

By the 1700, as Americans immigrated into more rural areas, Blab schools, often called ABC Schools or Oral Schools were established. The only qualification for a teacher was literacy. Paper was scarce, so oral lessons were considered the best way to encourage learning. The teacher would read a lesson, and the students would repeat it at the top of their lungs several times until they memorized it. The next morning, they repeat that lesson and then began the next lesson. I imagine the teacher had a major headache at the end of the day. This style of school remained popular in isolated areas of the US until the early 1900s.

Blab school attended by Abe Lincoln-New Salem Museum

 

Abraham Lincoln attended a Blab School in his younger years. He recited his lessons out loud on his long walk to school. Perhaps that is why his voice carried so well when he gave his Gettysburg address. I read he would write out his homework on the back of a shovel using the fireplace light to work by. I’m sure many students did the same.

                                                                        Slates

 

Eventually, by the late 1800s every student was required to own a slate. The small blackboard often had a cloth or sponge attached to it so the student could erase each correct lesson. Because of the expense of paper, this became the go-to method to study. 

Parents would buy their children a writing slate and chalk. Although the chalk looked more like a pencil. Thinner to make writing on the slate easier. Some schools supplied books for the students, but more often, students brought their own. Books passed down from their parents.

 

McGuffey Readers- revolutionized reading education

McGuffey Readers, first published in the 1830s and used until 1930, prepared students for life. Not only did they contain lessons on phonics and the alphabet but scripture and moral lessons. The fifth and sixth levels contained Shakespearian passages and lines from famous people of the time that students memorized. Some pioneers carried copies with them as they traversed the country in wagon trains.

What paper was available was often used for students to copy their best work. Then they would use a quill pen often prepared by their parent from a turkey or goose feather to write reports and copy passages of literature. The feather tip was kept sharp by cutting the edge with a pen knife. The quill was dipped in a bottle of ink. Desks were made with openings for the ink jar to rest. Careful penmanship was as important as spelling. Two keys to a good education. 

Reproduction of goose feather quill pen

Revolutionary writing tool

Pencils became the preferred writing tool because you could write several words before it needed sharpening again and was cheaper than pen and ink. The pencil had been available since Colonial times but not easily available to the lower class until it began to be mass produced in the late 1800s.

 

                                                                    Next item on the school supply list

 Pencil boxes were added to school supply lists after this. Each student had a pencil box to carry the smaller supplies such as pencils, erasers, and crayons, and keep them in order. Those who couldn’t afford pencil boxes repurposed cigar boxes. I remember having a cardboard pencil box that opened like a cigar box. They are available in plastic today for younger students.

So now the list of supplies is a slate, chalk, school books and pencil boxes. Later crayons and color pencils (also called crayons) would be added to the supply list.

What about paper you ask?

The late 1800s brought writing tablets (this refers to notebooks) containing newsprint with widely spaced lines for young children and thinner lines for older children. Because of the cost these tablets didn’t become as popular until 1930s and continued in use even today among homeschool students.

 I remember having a Big Chief Writing Tablet in second grade.

 Then spiral notebooks became popular along with three-ring binder notebooks with subject tabs and lots of loose-leaf paper to add as needed to those heavy binders. Pencil pouches replaced pencil boxes. These had had three holes to secure them in the binders.  

Satchels

Satchels were a popular item for the more studious ones among us in the mid-1950s to 1970s. Usually used by high school boys. The rest of us carried our books and the notebook home in our arms. Satchels resembled briefcases. Those have evolved into backpacks of every shape and size and are available to all ages from preschool to college age.

Antique Satchel

Binders and pencil bags

More changes to the school supply list began in the mid-twentieth century with three-ring binders and loose-leaf paper. I recall adding paper to my binder and tabs to divide it into subject. Plus, packages of looseleaf paper made way for spiral notebooks for specific classes. They had three holes so paper could be added to the binder, or the entire notebook could be inserted. We still had pens, pencils, rulers, crayons, colored pencils, glue and a few other supplies one might need for math class such as, protractors and slide rules. Most were added to the pencil bag that had three holes to insert in the front of your three-ring binder.

New Technology

Enter the alculator in the early 70s. Let me tell you my teacher failed a student when she learned she’d used a calculator to do her homework. She insisted we use our brains instead. Hand-held calculators eventually became commonly used in the 1980s, only among students in advanced math classes. The price drop from three hundred dollars to twenty-five dollars making it easier for families to afford.

Add calculator to your supply list. Personal tissues were added sometime while I was in school, I recall bringing a supply of colored paper for the teacher and watercolors for our personal use.

Today, oh My

So many supplies are required today: notebooks, folders, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, tissues, sanitary wipes, water bottles, hand sanitizer, tablets, and various other supplies based on grade level. Schools now have a day to drop off school supplies before school starts. My grandson’s middle school allows parents to help their students organize all their many supplies in their lockers before school starts.

I hope you found the evolution of school supplies as interesting as I did.

What school supplies do you remember buying every year? Have you ever used a slate or seen a McGuffey Reader?

Cindy Ervin Huff is a multi-published award-winning author. A 2018 Selah Finalist. She has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.