Heavenly Father, look down on us your humble obedient servants,
who are doomed to travel this earth taking photographs, mailing post cards, buying souvenirs, and walking around in drip dry underwear.

We beseech you O Lord to see that our plane is not hijacked, our luggage is not lost,
and our excess baggage goes unnoticed.
Protect us from surly and unscrupulous taxi drivers, avaricious porters,
and unlicensed English speaking guides. Give us divine guidance in the selection of our hotels,
that we may find our reservations honored, our rooms made up, and hot water running from the faucets.
We pray that the telephone lines work, that the operators speak our tongue and that there is no mail waiting for us from our children forcing us to cancel the rest of our trip...

Click here to read the second part of "Prayer for Tourists."
Read on for fine carnival glass you may only see on the Net (and not elsewhere) this summer!

Over the years, carnival glass has been produced in translucent colors, like pale purple, marigold, cerulean, green, and red. It is also available in opaque white, called milk glass, and translucent pale green, called vaseline or uranium glass, prior to more knowledge about the risks of exposure to radiation.

Among the largest produces of carnival glass in the US are Fenton, Northwood, Imperial, Millersburg, Westmoreland, Dugan/Diamond, Cambridge, and U.S. Glass, as well as smaller quantities from many smaller manufacturers.

Carnival glass is a well-transacted artwork, with prices ranging from very little to thousands of dollars for rare pieces. Carnival glass are very common in antique stores, and it has huge following on eBay.

Verification of the authenticity of carnival glass is no easy task. A lot of manufacturers do not have their trademark on what they made. Nowadays, identifying the origin (and ultimately, the value) of carnival glass is more or less guesswork in matching patterns, colors, sheen, edges, thickness, and other factors from old manufacturer's trade catalogs, other known examples, or other reference material. Thus, carnival glass identification has turned out to be quite a perennial headache for experts, given the number of manufacturers producing close copies of their rivals' popular patterns.

Carnival glass originated in the early 1900s, and production waned in the mid to late thirties. The bowls of carnival glass are part of a larger collection of collectable items known as carnival glass. Carnival glass is coated with iridescent, giving it an oil-like sheen and this glass is inexpensive. This process is known as doping and hence many leading glass manufacturers call it "dope glass".

The company Fenton was the first and largest, widely recognized carnival glass producer. Fenton initially began life as a company which decorated blank glass produced by other companies. In 1907 it started creating carnival glass. When production started, Fenton glassware was marketed as "Iridill" or "iridescent ware". This was an instant hit and several other companies began producing and marketing their own carnival glass bowls.

In the late 20es, request for their products started to fade. This was caused by the decrease in sales during Depression time, and partly to the saturation of the market by glass companies too. To eliminate stock, companies started selling their wares at strongly discounted prices to carnivals, that then is used as prizes for their games. Many companies got out of business during that period.
Known as "carnival glass" by glass collectors, the popularity of carnival glass bowls surged in the 1950s. Originally used as carnival prizes, today reproductions are made by several companies. Fenton glass in particular is a prized collectible and the most frequently manufactured.

More on this by clicking on keyword links in article.

Fenton carnival glass is an iridescent glass pattern that was very popular in the early 1900s, with niche interest continuing today. Other companies have made similar clear glass dinnerware over time, but the Fenton carnival glass was usually the most popular. Northwood glass was a major competitor in the iridescent glass industry, introducing their items in 1908. ...

Iridescent glasses were quite unique in appearance, as they looked to have a metallic sheen and luster. Different pieces were produced, including mugs, bowls, vases, plates and full table settings. These pieces were in many colors, with cobalt, marigold and amethyst being the most sold.

Liquid glass is pressed into a hot metal mold to produce fenton carnival glass. While cooling it takes the shape of the mold, and while it is still hot it is sprayed with a unique mixture containing metallic salts in liquid. This results into the iridescent sheen. To prevent the glass from cracking it is cooled very slowly and brought to the room temperature in full 24 hours. ...

Do not forget that glassware are fragile and should be treated properly. Slight bumps are enough to cause damages to their special shine. It may also fade out if exposed to sunlight- so it must be stored properly. Never put it in a dish washed, and wash carefully with a soft piece of clothing and dish soap by hands. ...

More on this by clicking on keyword links in article.

Some quick facts about Fenton Art Glass which, before its closure, was the biggest maker of handmade colored glass in the United States.

Frank L. Fenton and his brother John W. Fenton put up the Fenton Art Glass Company in 1905 in an old glass factory in Martins Ferry, Ohio.

Frank L. Fenton took upon himself the design of most of Fenton's products until his death in 1948.

In late 1907, Fenton came up with "Iridescent" glass design. This glass, the first ever "Carnival" glass, are now well-known collector's items.

During the period from 1905 to the 1920's, artists at Tiffany and Steuben inspired most of the Fentons' look.

Fenton's opaque Venetian Red Glass was first seen by the public in 1924.

During the 1930's and 1940's, Fenton made practical items, such as mixing bowls and tableware to deal with the depression era and WWII shortages.

Fenton's Connoisseur Collection items were commercially made available in 1983.

The raw material mix of glass (silica sand, soda ash and lime) is known as a batch. Around 71% of a batch of glass is silica sand.

There are some 14 components used to produce the Fenton brand of glass.

The melting temperature for a batch of glass hits 2500 degrees F on the average.

The cause of the Fenton cranberry glass color is pure gold.

Certain glass colors (like yellow or green) containing uranium will actually glow under black or ultraviolet light.

No two Fenton pieces will resemble, detail by detail, each other.

Glass molds are made of cast iron.

Fenton Art Glass are also available on QVC in London, England.

The biggest tank at Fenton Art Glass has a capacity for 9,000 pounds of glass.

Fenton glassworkers, when divided into working groups, are called shops.

A gatherer is the word for the craftsman who brings out the molten glass from the furnace.

To collect glass for a blown piece, a craftsman employs a 'blow pipe' which measures close to 5' long and has a hole in the middle like a straw.

Fenton's decorators use a mixture of oil base paint and turpentine to create their paint.

To slowly cool Fenton Art Glass, the workers use a machine that resembles a big pizza oven that slowly ventilates the glass.

Adapted from: The Fenton Art Glass Company Homepage