Fostoria Glass Versailles Etched Blue Bouillon Bowl

Is blue your favorite color?  If it is you know that it is not all that common in glass, especially beautiful etched glassware like this bouillon bowl from Fostoria.  I like this shade better than cobalt blue and it looks grand with the etching and clear handles.

Fostoria Glass made Versailles from 1928 to 1944 in this lovely blue, a gorgeous green, pretty amber and pink.  I have all three colors in my store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass since this is one of the patterns I try to keep in stock, but I can’t make up my mind whether the blue or the green is prettier.  And the amber is nice too….

Are you wondering what a bouillon cup is?  What, you mean you don’t have a separate piece to serve clear soup as an appetizer?  You use the cream soup bowl for both your Vichyssoise and your broth?  Or even (gasp!) you use the same bowl for any kind of soup or salad or cereal because you only have a couple size bowls?  What is this world coming to?

Back in the day (before dishwashers but when people still had “help”) people had separate dishes for almost everything.  My reference book for Versailles shows this bouillon bowl, the larger cream soup which is nearly the size we would use today but with handles, finger bowl, soup bowl, cereal bowl and fruit bowl.  Needless to say the bouillon is one of the less common pieces.  I think it would be fun to serve dinner with all the right pieces arranged just so.

Fostoria Glass Baroque Azure Blue Vase

This week’s Tablescape Thursday post featured Moderntone cobalt blue depression glass.  Today we’ll look at a different style and color, azure blue elegant glass from Fostoria.

This piece is the winged vase in Fostoria Baroque glassware.  Some pieces in Baroque pattern have fleur de lis molded shapes around the edges and others have these striking curled wings.  Candle holders and comports have the wings turned into stems, very attractive and unmistakable.

Fostoria made Baroque in this light azure blue and gold tint light topaz colors plus crystal.  Earlier, in the 1920s and 30s Fostoria made darker blue glass, not cobalt but a medium royal blue color, and used it for etches like Royal and Vesper.  Later patterns, Baroque and Fairfax, used this lighter, almost sky blue shade.

Azure blue is easy on the eyes and a friendly color that works well with others.  Come try it out at Catladykate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.  It’s like antiquing with your best friend!

Fostoria Glass Lido Etched Crystal Baroque Bowl

This is one of my favorite pieces.  I love the beautiful etch that looks like a milkweed puff or fireworks.  This is Fostoria’s Lido etch, one of their 1940s patterns (1937 to 1954) so they used the Baroque and Sceptre blanks.  The big salad or console bowl is Baroque and you can see the fleur de lis on the sides.

Fostoria made a few pieces of azure blue Lido which are extraordinarily beautiful pieces of American glassware.  The crystal is stunning and the etch is graceful, all over puffs.

The next piece is the water goblet.  You can see why this is called the Sceptre blank – look at the tiers of points just under the bowl.

Fostoria Glass Lido Etched Crystal Water Goblet

For some reason this pattern is not as well known as the contemporaneous Chintz or Navarre etched glass.  If you like this it is still quite reasonably priced for mid-century Fostoria, with the water goblet running about $15-30.   I expect that this design, like others made around this same time, will become more collected as the people who bought this originally as young brides begin to downsize and pass on their cherished glass to their families.

This is a gorgeous pattern and one I hope you enjoy.

Fostoria Glass American One Handle Flared Nappy Candy Dish

This is the last post in the candy dish series.  This piece is a little different.  It isn’t called a candy dish, although that’s how you would use it; it is called a nappy.

I know, a nappy sounds like baby diapers, but the term means a bowl.  Fostoria called many of their smaller bowls with one handles nappies.  You can imagine this holding the little conversation hearts at Valentines or foil wrapped chocolate Easter eggs or ribbon candy at Christmas.

This is smaller than the three previous pieces, about 6 inches long and less than 2 inches tall.  It is also less expensive, under $10.  The pattern is American, which is one of Fostoria’s best known designs that looks like crystal ice cubes.  Other companies made similar patterns but Fostoria’s is the original and the loveliest.

Fostoria Glass Heather Etched Crystal 2-Part Relish

Isn’t this  a pretty design?  The etch is Fostoria’s Heather, blooming all over a small 2-part Century relish.  There are other heather etches that look a little like this, but Fostoria’s is distinctive.  Look for clusters of leaves and blossoms that radiate from a center.  The bloom on the left side shows this most clearly.

The other distinctive characteristic that tells you this is Fostoria’s etch is the blank.  Fostoria used their Century blank for Heather and the edges all have little curlicues on the rims.  For some reason they didn’t use the stems that were part of the Century line, but instead Fostoria used the Silver Flutes blank for stemware.  Silver Flutes has curlicues all along the stem, a little more ornate than the Century stemware, but more graceful.

Fostoria Glass Heather Etched Crystal Footed Ice Tea Tumbler

This ice tea tumbler shows the curlicue stem.  Of course the champagne sherbets and water goblets have longer stems and are more noticeable.  One good thing about the curlicues is they make the pieces easy to hold.

Fostoria made Heather for a long time, 1949 to 1971, so it endured through the mid-century modern style and the resurgence of colonial in the 60s.   They made it in crystal only, no colors.

You can find stemware, accessory pieces like the relish shown, candles, decorative bowls and a full dinnerware set.  If you are thinking about getting etched vintage glassware for dishes, I recommend patterns that have designs in the centers of plates, not just on the rims.  The designs hide small signs of wear and make your pieces more usable since you won’t be so concerned about someone scratching the plate with their fork.

I don’t have a candle to show you, which is unfortunate.  The Fostoria Century blank candleholders are lovely graceful curled shapes that look wonderful with this curvy etched design.

Come pick a bouquet of Heather, etched that is, and enjoy vintage glass for stemware, dinner, candles and more.

Fostoria Glass Beverly Etched Green Bouillon Cup

What you ask is a bouillon cup and why would anyone want one?  Back in the day people served soup as a first course at more elaborate dinners.  (Remember, many people in the upper middle and upper classes had servants who helped with dishes in the 1920s.)  Bouillon is a clear soup, no vegetables or alphabet pasta, that was traditionally served in small cups.

You might be familiar with cream soup bowls which are low bowls with two handles.   People served cream soup for a first course too, and those bowls are larger.  Bouillon cups are a little smaller but they have two handles too.

You might think this is a sugar bowl – after all it has two handles – but the shape isn’t quite right for a sugar.  Notices the lip flares out a tad.  This is about the same size and shape as the usual coffee cup, it has a second handle is all.

This is Beverly etch by Fostoria.  it has a cross-hatched shield between dangling swags that’s very attractive.  Fostoria made three other patterns with etched cross-hatches and swags, Washington, Melrose and Virginia, a few years before Beverly.  Beverly came out in 1927 and Fostoria discontinued it about 1934.

Must you have a hired girl lurking in the kitchen to wash the dishes in order to have a bouillon cup?  Of course having someone else wash the dishes is always a plus, but you can enjoy using a pretty soup bowl any time you want a small cup of soup or you could use this for fruit in the morning.  Think of this as a way to add a bit of real class to your table.  And yes, you can use these little bowls with chicken noodle or soups with alphabet pasta.

Meadow Rose Etched Crystal Relish Tray from Fostoria Glass

Back in the 1960s and 70s everyone got at least one and usually several relish trays for wedding gifts, and for many of us growing up then, the relish trays were an indispensable part of Sunday dinner.

Sadly relish trays have all but disappeared.  Families today don’t have the experience of using a special piece on the table that creates such wonderful memories of growing up.  One great thing about the internet is how we can find discontinued pieces so we to create memories today for our families to cherish tomorrow.

In November of 2008 I was interviewed by Margi Shrum of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for an article she wrote about relish trays for a Thanksgiving tradition. Her article is fun to read and perfect for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

The relish tray shown is Meadow Rose etch from Fostoria Glass.  It is heavy crystal with a beautiful etch of flowers and swags and has two handles and four small feet.  Perfect!

Fostoria Glass Versailles Etched Green Flared Console Bowl

I was thinking this evening about what are my favorite pieces and this is definitely in the running.  This is stunning and the photo does not come close to showing how the deep green glass shows off the fan and scroll etch or how the three footed triangle shape is perfect.

Fostoria etched Versailles on green, blue, pink and amber.  I have all three colors listed – Versailles is one of the patterns we specialize in – and vacillate between the green and the blue as my favorite.  Green?  Blue?? Both?  I don’t care for the pink as much.

Fostoria made Versailles from 1928 to 1936, so through the first half of the difficult depression period.  They used the Fairfax blank for stemware which has clear crystal foot and stem and colored bowl.  The stemware is choice.  I have a few piece – it sells quickly although it’s rather pricey.

If you want to own a spectacular centerpiece you could try this bowl with two of the matching candles.  You don’t need the candles to have a beautiful display although they look superb flanking the bowl as a console set.  Fostoria made several shapes of candles in Versailles and the green ones we have look like miniature bowls with three tab feet.  They match the bowl and the group together is a sight to see!

Fostoria Glass Meadow Rose Etched Candleholder

I have a confession to make. When I first saw Fostoria Meadow Rose etched elegant glass in the glass reference books I didn’t like it.  It seemed wimpy.  In person it is a peaceful beautiful patter that has a classy style all its own.

The candle holder shown here is a good example.  You can see the design of flowers and swags around a central plain spot.  Looks ok, right?   It’s much prettier than it looks, and of course I like candle holders so it is very much more than ok.

Fostoria made Meadow Rose in crystal and some pieces in a light azure blue that is stunning.  It is on the Baroque blank so you know to look for the graceful fleur de lis and curlicue handles.

I picked up a few pieces at first only because the pattern sold well online and then found out how special this is.  Now I know why it sells well!

Fostoria Colonial Prism Laced Edge Amber Art Glass Bowl

Fall hit with a vengeance today – it’s cold, dreary and wet – and these are the days that turn our minds to fires flickering in the fire place, warm colors, friends, apple cider.  Amber colored glass fits right in here and looking at this bowl cheers me up!

This particular piece is Fostoria Glass Colonial Prism and it’s called a cabarete bowl.  Suffice to know that it’s wide, not very tall and gorgeous.  I saw this at an estate sale in the spring and just could not resist.  That warm glowing golden amber just begged me to take it home.

When you buy a piece of vintage glass it’s an emotional investment; you are getting the history, the family connection, the sense of intimacy with other people, the hand crafted beautiful object.  You are not just buying a glass or a bowl (although I do hope you use the glass you buy from me!).   This bowl is a good example of that since looking at it makes you feel warm and comfortable, like your favorite pair of slippers.