South Jersey Calabash type Historical Flasks 1845 to 1865
The Jenny Lind Story and some of the Calabash type flasks she appeared on.
In September 1850, P. T. Barnum embarked on a nationwide tour with a Swedish opera singer that would bring him a vast fortune and create a new cultural phenomenon in the United States. Barnum succeeded in building such great public anticipation about the "Swedish Nightingale" that 40,000 people showed up to greet the arrival of her ship in New York harbor. From her opening concert in New York Citys Castle Garden to subsequent performances in cities and towns across the country, Barnum fueled public fascination with Lind by orchestrating events and negotiating Lind-endorsed products (including Jenny Lind songs, clothes, chairs, and pianos). "Lindomania" lasted until 1852, when the partnership collapsed over logistical and financial issues. Barnum shrewdly promoted Lind’s character--her modesty, benevolence, and selflessness--as much as her artistry. One scholar contends that because of Barnum’s promotion, Lind became "the standard for measuring not just sopranos, or even women artists, but women" throughout the 1850s. Here is a link to a web site which explains in great detail Jennys Triumphant tour of the United States.
The woman in this video best represents what Jenny Lind may have looked and sounded like when she sang this same song in 1850.
This site Forever Swedish has a great deal of information on Jenny Linds entire career.
The Jenny Lind calabash flasks.
Jenny Lind in the 1840s right through the 1860s was more popular then the Beatles,Elvis, Sinatra,Michael Jackson and any other modern singing legend.She was loved and adorned by the entire public where as the other mentioned singers had their own genres and age classes. Jenny sold out every concert in America well ahead of each scheduled event in each major United states city in her whirlwind tour.The business community would plaster her likeness on just about every conceivable piece of marketable merchandise imaginable just like today's star athletes and entertainers adorn endless collectable items and clothing. The glass factories joined in and and in a short span Jenny Lind or as in some cases spelled Jeny Lind was carved into the molds of the new calabash type glass flasks that were flooding the liquor markets in the Mid Atlantic Region in the year 1850 on up to 1880.Jenny's portrait was mainly displayed on these calabash type flasks but she also is seen on three violin shaped flasks from the West Virginia glass works in Wellsburg charted by Mckearin as the GI-108,109 and 110
Here are most of the known charted Jenny lind calabash flasks most of them being made in New Jersey
glass works with half of them with some sort of attribution to Samuel Huffsey.
Here are most of the known charted Jenny lind calabash flasks most of them being made in New Jersey
glass works with half of them with some sort of attribution to Samuel Huffsey.
GI-99 Jenny Lind Bust and Glass Factory.
The GI-99 Embossed on the front side JENNY LIND above the portrait and on the other side of the flask the embossing GLASS WORKS above a factory and below the factory the words S. HUFFSEY.The bottom has a rough pontil most of the time but I know first hand as I own 8 of these that two of them sport the perfectly centered dot seen a lot on three piece mold bottles.This bottle was made at the Milford glass works, the Isabella Glass works in New Brooklyn New Jersey and at Crowleytown all owned by John Huffsey in the 1851-1853 time period. Later at the Williamstown glass works in the years 1858 to 1870 the flasks was revived.This may be the reason for the different bottoms on the bottles.The Mckearins list this flask as common. In aqua it is common but it comes in many colors from Deep blue green,Olive -Yellow Deep-Green -with a yellow tone,light yellow green,Olive-green,Aquamarine Amber-light,and Amber Dark These other colors have commanded good prices over the years with many selling for more then 12,000 dollars.
Gi-99A
The GI-99a This may in fact be a fantasy bottle as only one was ever reported supposedly in 1965. The difference between the GI-99 and this bottle is the lack of Embossing on the Jenny Lind side of the bottle. All of the other attributes are the exact same.The color on this one specimen was reported to be Aquamarine.
The GI-100 Jenny Lind Louis Kossuth Busts
The GI 100 on one side the embossing JENNY LIND above her portrait and on the reverse the Embossing KOSSUTH above the bust of Louis Kossuth the hero of the Hungarian uprising in 1848 but fled to America as the czars of Europe wanted his head on a platter.This bottle also has a rough pontil most of the time but again it also has the tiny centered dot seen on three piece molds.This bottle comes in two colors Aquamarine and medium green. This bottle uses the same Jenny Lind mold that was used on the Huffsey made GI-99 and the other side has a bust of kossuth.This bottle is no doubt a product of either the Milford,Isabella, or the Williamstown glass works .Mckearin lists this flask as comparatively scarce.
The GI-101 MILFORA G Works Jenny Lind / Glass Factory
The GI-101 has a neat history behind it and another mold inscription error on it.The flask has a bust of Jenny Lind and the same inscription JENNY LIND above the portrait.This half of the mold again is the same one used on the GI-99 and GI-100 .The other side of the bottle has the glass factory house exactly the same as the GI-99 but instead of the word GLASS FACTORY it states MILFORA G. WORK'S and on the bottom a mold alteration can be easily seen on a lot of these. Where on the GI-99 the words S. HUFFSEY are written across the bottom of the factory on this bottle you can see where a plate now covers the name S. HUFFSY and it is just a smooth area.The name MILFORA has been proven beyond doubt to be misspelled and should of read as MILFORD which housed the Pendleton Glass works in 1838 but by the year 1852 it was changed to the Milford glass works owned and operated by John and Samuel Huffsey. Mckearin lists this flask as comparatively scarce.`
The GI-102 Jeny Lind bust and a Glass Factory
The Whitney glass works in Glassboro New Jersey were the largest glass manufacturer in the United States in the year 1850 . The GI-102 calabash flask has a bust of Jenny Lind very similar to the Huffsey bottles but the hair is longer and the face more round.On the Jenny Lind side of the bottle the misspelled inscription JENY LIND is written above Jenny's portrait. On the other side a factory almost with an exact likeness to the Huffsey bottles is pictured and across the top of this factory is the inscription GLASS * WORKS . A large 6 pointed star sits between the words GLASS FACTORY.The sides of the bottle have eleven vertical ribs. This bottle always has a large rough pontil and comes in three colors,Clear Brilliant Green,Aquamarine and is very rare in Emerald Green. Mckearin lists this calabash flask as comparatively scarce.The flask is the tallest when compared to the others.
GI-103 Jenny Lind Bust Glass Factory
The GI-103 The Whitney glass works was again chosen by the Mckearins as the factory for the manufacture of this one because of its similar look to the GI-102.This bottle like all the other Jenny Lind calabash flasks has a portrait of Jenny but it does differ from the similar GI-102 in the clothing that Jenny is depicted as wearing.This bottle also has the misspelling of the word Jenny Lind as JENY LIND across the top of her portrait also. The other side of the bottle although similar to the GI-102 has the same factory building depicted but lacks any written words or the 6 pointed star across the top of the factory depiction.The sides of the bottle have eleven vertical ribs.This bottle also has a rough pontil mark and comes in Cornflower blue Aquamarine,and and is very rare in light blue.
GI-107 Jenny Lind Bust / Glass factory Embossed Fislerville
The last bottle is the infamous Fislerville flask which has a ton of poorly made copied versions all over the collecting community,eBay,auctions houses,flea markets ect ect. The original bottle was made at the Fislerville Glass Works in 1851 up until at least 1856 when the works were sold to John Moore and the name changed to the Moore Brothers in 1857. This is the best looking of all of the Jenny Lind bottles as the detail is sharp and the portrait of Jenny is much more life like particularly her hair, then on the other versions which show Jenny with droopy dog eared like hair and the face and clothing are very plain and barley discernible.On one side of the bottle is the portrait of Jenny. The detail is much sharper and the image portrayed is of a very glamorous Jenny probably the concert hall Jenny look. Laid across the top of her Portrait the lettering JENNY LIND and like the GI-106 the letters are angled not softly curved across the top. On the other side the infamous factory and the ornaments that are laid on around the factory are best way to tell this original one from the poorly copied Clevenger one.On this side of the bottle is the glass factory and unlike the other Jenny Lind Flasks this one looks like a Factory not a two story house.
The smoke from the Chimney blows to the left, and the beneath the factory left and right across the bottom are barrels, Kegs and boxes which are displayed differently on this original flask then on the poorly copied version made by the Clevenger brothers in the 1930s.Beginning at the roofline of the left hand side and travelling up and over and back down the right side of the bottle ending at a point directly across from the starting point are the words FISLERVILLE GLASS WORKS which are bordered top and bottom by a pennant looking decor. The bottle is mainly seen in Jersey aqua but rarer versions have a more dark blue-green aqua,a clear yellowish-green,a clear deep green and one bottle has been reported in a very light amber but one has to think it was just another Clevenger made version and not an original.This bottle is listed as common by Mckearin. I own 32 of these originals yes you heard correctly 32,as I was burned once by a Clevenger made one and vowed it would never happen again. I went nuts and starting buying all of the original versions as they appeared for sale.I do own a couple of examples in a very pale green,a deep aqua with a hint of blue,and one in dark blue aqua.The majority of my collection is in your basic Southern New Jersey aqua which obviously most were produced in .
The smoke from the Chimney blows to the left, and the beneath the factory left and right across the bottom are barrels, Kegs and boxes which are displayed differently on this original flask then on the poorly copied version made by the Clevenger brothers in the 1930s.Beginning at the roofline of the left hand side and travelling up and over and back down the right side of the bottle ending at a point directly across from the starting point are the words FISLERVILLE GLASS WORKS which are bordered top and bottom by a pennant looking decor. The bottle is mainly seen in Jersey aqua but rarer versions have a more dark blue-green aqua,a clear yellowish-green,a clear deep green and one bottle has been reported in a very light amber but one has to think it was just another Clevenger made version and not an original.This bottle is listed as common by Mckearin. I own 32 of these originals yes you heard correctly 32,as I was burned once by a Clevenger made one and vowed it would never happen again. I went nuts and starting buying all of the original versions as they appeared for sale.I do own a couple of examples in a very pale green,a deep aqua with a hint of blue,and one in dark blue aqua.The majority of my collection is in your basic Southern New Jersey aqua which obviously most were produced in .