67 NOTES AND COMMENTS - NOUVELLES BREVES GLASS COLLECTIONS IN CANADA/LES COLLECTIONS DE VERRE AU
CANADA Material History Bulletin no. 6 was devoted entirely to
the subject of research on glass in Canada. As a follow-up
to that thematic issue several major, Canadian institutions were
invited to describe their glass collections for the information
of their colleagues and other researchers. Published below are
reports on the collections held by the New Brunswick Museum,
Royal Ontario Museum, Ministère des Affaires culturelles du
Québec, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Man, Parks
Canada, and Glenbow Museum. Le Bulletin d'histoire de la culture
matérielle n° 6 fut entièrement consacré à la recherche sur le verre au
Canada. Afin de donner suite à ce numéro thématique, nous
avons demandé à plusieurs institutions canadiennes importantes de nous faire
parvenir des descriptions de leurs collections de verre dans le but
de renseigner leurs collègues et d'autres recherchistes.
Vous trouverez, ci après, des comptes rendus sur les collections du
Musée du Nouveau Brunswick, du Royal Ontario Museum, du ministère
des Affaires culturelles du Québec, du Musée des beaux-arts
de Montréal, du Musée national de l'Homme, de Parcs Canada et
du Glenbow Museum. New Brunswick Museum The glass collection at the New Brunswick Museum is
presently being catalogued as a whole for the first
time, integrating both the historic and artistic
components. In general, the collection can be
divided into the following categories: bottles,
lighting, tableware, whimseys, decorative, and
miscellaneous. The bottle collection consists of pop, beer, and dairy
product bottles as well as pharmaceutical, patent
medicine, and archaeological bottles and flasks. One
of the more intriguing pieces is a very large cylindrical container, deep
purple in colour, whose original function is as yet
unknown. Other pieces of particular interest include
a small collection of Syrian flasks of a type which
lasted from the time of Pompeii to the Frankish
period. The lighting collection, although not entirely glass,
includes examples of kerosene lamps, condlesticks,
and night lights. One pair of night lights is of a
particular aesthetic quality in rose-coloured
frosted glass with white enamel designs. The tableware collection is by far the largest category
and encompasses a multitude of styles and
manufacturing processes, everything from low grade
pressed ware to cut and etched crystal in drinking
glasses, goblets, compotes, bowls, plates, platters,
vases, trays, decanters, and cruet sets. To date
research has focused on the pressed glass pieces
which are of both American and Canadian manufacture.
Examples of the former include Sandwich Glass as
well as pieces in the "Westward Ho" and
"Lincoln Drape" patterns. In addition
there is a Log Cabin compote and several compotes in
the "Three Face" pattern, to mention only
a few. The collection of Canadian glass shows good
promise although research in this area is far from
complete. There are pieces from Ontario, Quebec,
Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, including a bowl and
water pitcher in the "Maple Leaf" pattern
and several Victoria Jubilee plates. The decorative and miscellaneous categories contain
several pieces worth mentioning. Of particular
interest is a piece of Steuben Glass by designer
Donald Pollard entitled "Moby Dick." There
are also vases by Tiffany and Galle and, although
not really part of the glass collection, a glass
dress. The collection of whimseys numbers less than a dozen
pieces but includes four canes. Two of these are
very similar in appearance — solid and clear
with a greenish tint and twisted the entire length,
including the handles. Both appear to be very much
like one made in Moncton, New Brunswick, by the Humphrey Glass Works and illustrated in Gerald
Stevens's book Canadian Glass c. 1825-1925
(Toronto: Ryerson, 1967). Unfortunately no
documented information has been found on either of
these pieces although there is speculation that one
may have been manufactured in Saint John, New
Brunswick. Fortunately there is documented proof that a clear
glass, oval piece in the collection was definitely
made in Saint John. Because there is as yet little
information on glass works in this city, it is one
of our most important pieces. The oval is for a tray
and has an etched design of Maple Leaves and Bows
around the circumference; the edges are bevelled and
the centre design is comprised of a large rose above
a Red Ensign and below this the word
"Britania." This piece was made by the
Maritime Art Glass Works which operated in Saint
John from 1900 to about 1918. An advertisement for
the firm reads: Maritime Art Glass Works Ltd. W.C. Bauer 124 - 132 City Road Artists and Designers in Memorial Windows, Ornamental Church Work, Domestic Art Glass, Ground, Chipped and Embossed and Bent Glass. Manufacturers of Bevelled and Plain Mirror Plates. High Class Metallic Sash Work in Copper and German Silver. Despite the fact that research on glass works and their
production in Saint John is still in its infancy, it
is known that the above firm was one of five that
operated in Saint John between 1857 and 1918.
Although only the glass oval has been positively
identified as an indigenous piece, its workmanship
indicates a fairly sophisticated glass manufacturing
industry in Saint John — at least during the
latter two decades of the said time span. Whether
this was true as a whole can only be determined by
further research, a process which is continuing. NOTE 1. Information on the Maritime Art Glass Works was
documented by Huia Ryder during the early 1960s when she was the
Acting Curator of Art at the New Brunswick Museum. See Huia
Ryder, "New Brunswick Glass," New Brunswick Museum
Art Bulletin 6, no. 3 (March 1962). Carol Laidlaw Royal Ontario Museum The glass collections in the Royal Ontario Museum are
probably the most diverse and representative in
Canada. Although they lack many showpiece examples,
they document the development of glass from ancient
Egypt through the Roman Empire, the Islamic
tradition, China, Europe, Britain, and North
America. The Egyptian material consists of small
bottles, jewellery, and fragments; some pieces are
from known archaeological sites. The Greek and Roman
collection includes over 700 items representative of
most known ancient varieties with the exception of
cameo glass and carved diatreta, both rare types.
The Islamic collection, like that in the Greek and
Roman Department, benefitted greatly from items
donated by Helen Norton of Ayers Cliff, Quebec, in
1950. Mould-blown, cut, and enamelled glass —
both intact vessels and fragments -- are all
represented in this section.The bulk of this collection dates from the seventh
through the thirteenth century though some pieces
are as late as the nineteenth century. Recent
acquisitions have been made through archaeological
excavations. The Chinese glass in the Far Eastern Department is one
of the most important collections outside China. It
falls into two divisions: archaic glass — beads and other small
pieces predating the third century A.D. — and
Chinese glass vessels of the eighteenth through
twentieth centuries. The latter category includes a
number of fine snuff bottles. The collection in the European Department includes
Continental, British, and American glass. The
Continental holdings are notable for a number of
pieces of early stained glass, early Venetian glass,
a representative grouping of Spanish glass, and fine
Germanic glass, particularly from the Biedermeier
period. The British glass was mostly acquired in
1937 and 1945 as gifts financed by Col. and Mrs.
R.Y. Eaton. It constitutes a broadly representative
grouping, however, there are a number of private
collections in the Toronto area which possess items
that are individually finer. The American glass is a
very small study group including a few key examples
of various types. The art glass, ca. 1890-1940, is
mostly of commercial quality. Exceptions are an
English cameo glass vase, ca. 1880, attributed to
Thomas Webb & Sons and a very fine Orrefors bowl
cut by E. Aberg after designs by Simon Gate, ca.
1935. There are only three minor pieces by Tiffany.
There is a small grouping of the glass of René
Lalique as used in Canada and about twelve fine
examples of current production lines from the
leading Murano glasshouses, ca. 1956. The collection
continues to be augmented largely by gifts of later
material, most of them with a history of use in
Canada. On rare occasions fine early pieces,
Continental glass, art glass, and technically
interesting examples are purchased. The Canadiana Department has a collection of about 700
pieces ranging from the nineteenth to early
twentieth centuries. This includes free-blown pieces
attributed to the first known factory at
Mallorytown, Ontario (1839-40), and the more
industrialized products of mould-blown containers
and pressed glass tablewares. Many of the pieces are
part of the Edith Chown Pierce-Gerald Stevens
Collection of Early Canadian Glass or from the
Dominion Glass Centennial Research Foundation Collection. In addition to intact vessels, there is
archaeological material from the Burlington Glass
Company, Hamilton, Ontario, and from the window
glass factories at Como, Quebec, and Napanee,
Ontario. The strengths of the Royal Ontario Museum glass holdings
reside in the institution as well as in the objects
themselves. Many of the key examples from the
collections were researched and re-catalogued for
the special exhibition "A Gather of Glass"
in the fall of 1977 and the cataloguing is generally
up-to-date. The ancient glass in the Greek and Roman
Department has been thoroughly catalogued and
researched by John W. Hayes in Roman and Pre-Roman
Glass in the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto: Royal
Ontario Museum, 1975). Black and white photographs
and 35-mm colour slides of items in the collection
are readily available at nominal cost. Aided by
better than average library and collection
resources, members of the staff are available to
assist serious researchers in identifying problem
pieces or with research. A list of staff members and
their areas of interest follows: Dr. John W. Hayes, Associate Curator, Greek and Roman Department — ancient glass to medieval period.
Dr. Doris Dohrenwend, Associate Curator, Far Eastern Department -- Chinese glass.Heri Hickl Szabo, Curator, European Department —
European glass to 1900 and early stained glass windows. Jean
Bacso, Associate Curator, European Department
— British glass (especially eighteenth century) and Continental glass to 1900.Peter Kaellgren, Curatorial Fellow, European Department
— nineteenth and twentieth century glass including art glass.K. Corey Keeble, Assistant Curator, European Department
— Canadian stained glass, particularly examples from Ontario firms.Janet Holmes, Curatorial Fellow, Canadiana Department
— Canadian glass and pressed glass. Peter Kaellgren, Le verre de la Place Royale dans la collection de la Direction de l'archéologie et de
l'ethnologie du Ministère des Affaires culturelles du
Québec Le projet de restauration de la Place Royale entrepris
il y a près de vingt ans a nécessité
des fouilles archéologiques sur quarante et un
sites jusqu'à maintenant. La plupart de
ces sites sont des sites domestiques. La Batterie
Royale et l'Habitation de Champlain,
situées dans le périmètre
administratif de la Place Royale, ont aussi
été excavées. Ce quartier représente le plus ancien complexe
d'architecture urbaine au Canada. Il est à
l'origine de la ville de Québec et
c'est à cet endroit que Champlain fit
construire en 1608 une Habitation fortifiée.
Aujourd'hui, la Place Royale regroupe environ
quatre-vingt maisons dans la ville basse de
Québec, entre le fleuve Saint-Laurent et le Cap
aux Diamants (fig. 1). Une importante collection de verre du XVII, XVIII et XIX
siècles a été constituée à
partir des fouilles réalisées sur les
sites; environ 1,000 objets ont été
cataélogués jusqu'à maintenant.
Cette collection comprend trente pour cent de verre
français, quarante-cinq pour cent de verre
anglais et vingt pour cent de verre
nord-américain. Quelques artefacts viennent
aussi de la Hollande et de l'Allemagne. Cette
collection est entreposée à la Direction
de l'archéologie et de l'ethnologie
du Ministère des Affaires culturelles. Il reste
encore soixante pour cent des artefacts qui
n'ont pas été restaurés. Ces
derniers ont été inventoriés de
façon générale et seulement une
partie de ceux-ci seront restaurés et
catalogués éventuellement car plusieurs
sont déjà représentés dans la
collection. Jusqu'à maintenant, trois études ont
été publiées sur certains aspects de
la collection. Une première étude analyse
un groupe d'artefacts en verre (verre de table
et bouteilles) provenant d'un ensemble clos, le
site ayant été scellé entre 1836 et
1838. Une seconde étude concerne un
dépôt de bouteilles de la deuxième
moitié du XIXe siècle trouvé dans la
cave d'une maison. Une dernière étude, publiée
récemment, s'attarde à certaines
bouteilles du régime français provenant de
différentes maisons. D'autres études seront
publiées ultérieurement puisqu'un
programme de recherche sur les artefacts a
été mis sur pied depuis janvier 1976. Fig. 1. Plan la Place Royale. (Photo: Direction de l'archéologie et de l'ethnologie, de non catalogué.)La Place Royale fut occupée par les français
jusqu'en 1760. A partir de cette date, les
marchands anglais ont graduellement remplacé
les commerçants français. Le commerce, qui
se faisait jusqu'alors avec la France, fut
orienté surtout avec le Royaume-Uni. A partir
de 1850, l'on constate un accroissement continu
des échanges avec les Etats-Unis. Cette
orientation ira en augmentant avec
l'entrée massive des capitaux
américains au tournant du XX siècle. La
collection de verre de la Place Royale reflète
donc ces changements de régime. Voici un bref
aperçu de ces différents types de verre
illustrés dans la collection. Verre utilisé sous le régime français :
1608-1760 Les fouilles ont mis au jour divers types de contenants
et de verre de table utilisés sous le
régime français, plus
particulièrement à la fin du XVIIe et au
XVIIIe siècles. Peu d'artefacts en verre
de la première moitié du XVII siècle
proviennent des fouilles (fig. 2). Parmi les contenants, l'on retrouve quelques
bouteilles à panse renflée et au col court
ou long, fabriquées soit en France, soit en
Angleterre ou dans les Pays-Bas. Certaines, plus
fragiles, sont en verre vert-olive transparent,
d'autres, plus robustes, sont en verre noir
épais. Plusieurs bouteilles à vin,
fabriquées en France, font partie de la
collection. Elles sont généralement en
verre vert-olive transparent plus ou moins
irisé. Le col est long, la panse cylindrique
est plus large à l'épaulement
qu'à la base. Le cul est renfoncé
assez profondément, de forme conique, avec un
amas de verre dans le creux laissé par le
pontil. Deux d'entre elles sont ornées
d'un cachet en verre portant la lettre "A."
Quelques bouteilles carrées, à quatre
pans, communément appelées bouteilles
â gin, ont aussi été mis au jour lors
des fouilles. Elles sont de différentes
tailles, en verre vert-olive foncé et
proviennent toutes du même site. Elles ont
probablement été fabriquée en
Hollande.Fig. 2. Verre utilisé sous le régime
français, 1608-1760. De gauche à droite; bouteille carrée à
gin, bouteille à panse renflée et à long col, bouteille à panse
renflée et à col court, coupe en verre de fougère, coupe en verre blanc
transparent de tradition vénitienne, gobelet en verre
craquelé rosé, coupe en verre blanc transparent de tradition bohémienne,
rafraîchissoir, bouteille cylindrique en verre aqua â long col,
flacon cylindrique en verre aqua. (Photo: Yves Martin,
Direction de l'archéologie et de l'ethnologie, no. de
nég. 1979-R6-12.) D'autres récipients, appelés flacons,
font partie de la collection. Ceux-ci sont
généralement de forme carrée, à
quatre pans, avec un goulot assez large destiné
à recevoir des solides. Ils sont en verre aqua
transparent et auraient été fabriqués
en France. D'autres, en verre aqua aussi, sont
cylindriques ou carrés et possèdent un goulot étroit
servant pour les liquides. Outre ceux-ci, divers
types de contenants en verre aqua proviennent des
fouilles: petites bouteilles médicinales plus
ou moins allongées, fioles de pharmacie,
petites bouteilles pour l'huile, damejeannes
à col très long, généralement
clissées et destinées au transport du vin. Le verre de table, sous le régime français,
est représenté par différents types
de gobelets et de coupes ainsi que par quelques
objets exceptionnels tels que rafraîchissoirs,
carafes, huiliers, jattes, burettes, coupes à
fruits. Les gobelets trouvés à la Place
Royale sont en verre blanc transparent ou en verre
craquelé de couleur rosée. Ces derniers,
fabriqués en France, étaient à
l'origine blancs et transparents, mais à
cause de la composition instable du verre ils ont
perdu leur transparence initiale. Plusieurs gobelets
portent un décor moulé en forme
d'ondulations sur la paroi et quelques autres,
en verre blanc transparent, sont gravés à
la roue et auraient été fabriqués en
Bohême. La majorité des coupes utilisées sous le
régime français sont en verre de
fougère. Le nom vient de la cendre de
fougère, riche en potasse, qui était
utilisée comme fondant dans la fabrication du
verre ordinaire en France. Ce verre est
légèrement bleuté ou verdâtre et
ses parois sont très minces. D'autres
coupes sont en verre blanc transparent assez
épais. Elles auraient probablement
été fabriquées en France, selon la
tradition bohémienne et seraient en
demi-cristal. Certaines, à la tige
délicate et bien façonnée, en forme
de cigare tordu, rappellent le verre vénitien. Le verre utilisé sous le régime français
provient donc en grande majorité de la France.
Si certains marchands ou militaires bien nantis
possèdent quelques pièces de verre
anglais, hollandais ou bohémien, c'est
probablement par le biais de la métropole
qu'ils peuvent se les procurer. Fig. 3. Verre utilisé dans la période
1760-1850 sous le régime britannique. De gauche à droite: bouteille à
vin muni du cachet "G. Allsopp 1773," bouteille octogonale à
tabac, bouteille pour la moutarde sèche, coupe à la tige
torsadée à l'intérieur, coupe â la tige taillée à facettes, coupe au
bol gravé, petit gobelet à liqueur, gobelet en verre blanc transparent,
carafe en verre taillé. (Photo: Yves Martin, Direction de
l'archéologie et de l'ethnologie, no. de nég. 1979-R6-13.) Verre utilisé dans la période 1760-1850 sous
le régime britannique Les artefacts en verre utilisés sous le régime
britannique jusqu'en 1850 composent la plus
grande partie de la collection. Des milliers de
fragments de bouteilles ont été
retrouvés dans les caves des maisons
fouillées. La collection renferme aussi une
grande variété de coupes de la
deuxième moitié du XVIII et de la
première moitié du XIX siècles ainsi
que de la vaisselle de table raffinée telles
des carafes en verre taillé, des coupes à
fruits, des poivrières, des moutardiers, des
burettes pour l'huile et le vinaigre (fig. 3). Le contenant le plus répandu à cette
époque est la bouteille cylindrique en verre
noir épais. Fabriquée en Angleterre, elle
est plutôt trapue avec un col court au
début mais sa forme évolue: le col
s'allonge et ses parois deviennent droites et
cylindriques au début du XIXe siècle. Ces
bouteilles pourraient contenir du vin, de la
bière ou toute autre boisson alcoolisée.
Certaines d'entre elles sont ornées
d'un cachet en verre, portant soit des noms de
marchands, soit des initiales, des dates ou des
armoiries. D'autres contenants, de formes et de
couleurs variées, servaient à divers
usages: bouteilles octogonales pour le tabac,
bouteilles à fond pointu pour l'eau
minérale, petites bouteilles pour l'encre,
bouteilles petites et grandes pour la nourriture
telle la moutarde sèche, l'huile et les
marinades, petites bouteilles pour le parfum et les
eaux de toilettes, petites bouteilles
médicinales. Ces contenants étaient tous
fabriqués en Angleterre, la plupart dans des
moules. Le verre de table utilisé sous le régime
britannique jusqu'en 1850 est un verre blanc
transparent, massif, et à base de plomb.
Fabriqué en Angleterre, il est
représenté dans la collection par
plusieurs coupes finement travaillées ainsi que
par des gobelets. La tige des coupes, souvent
très haute, peut être ornée à
l'intérieur d'un filet d'air
opaque torsadé; elle peut être
taillée à facettes ou simplement pleine et
massive sans aucune décoration sauf une bulle
d'air parfois à l'intérieur. Le
bol, ordinairement uni, peut être gravé
à la roue de motifs en forme de feuilles de
vigne et de grappes de raisins, tel que
représenté sur une coupe de la collection.
Au XVIII siècle, le bol est
généralement soit de forme ovoïde,
soit en forme de trompette ou d'entonnoir rond.
A la fin de ce siècle, il devient plutôt
en forme de baquet et est souvent taillé à
facettes. Quelques gobelets en verre blanc massif à base de
plomb font partie de la collection. Il en existe de
très petits utilisés pour les liqueurs. On
en trouve aussi de très grands,
jusqu'à quinze centimètres de
hauteur. Les plus répandus dans la collection
mesurent entre sept et dix centimètres.
Certains sont moulés dans des moules à
motifs de losanges. Le verre utilisé sous le régime britannique
à cette époque provient donc en grande
majorité d'Angleterre. Le commerce avec la
France semble avoir arrêté brusquement en
1760. Comme commerce avec la Nouvelle-Angleterre
étant pratiquement inexistant à cette
époque, il en résulte que les habitants se
servaient surtout de contenants et de vaisselle de
table fabriqués en Angleterre exclusivement. Verre utilisé dans la période 1850-1900 Le verre utilisé à la Place Royale entre 1850
et 1900 est surtout représenté dans la
collection par une grande variété de
contenants (fig. 4). La vaisselle de table, que ce
soit des verres à boire ou des ustensiles,
s'y fait beaucoup plus rare. Ceci peut
s'expliquer par le changement de vocation de
Place Royale. A cette époque, ce quartier,
autrefois habité par des familles, revêt
un caractère beaucoup plus commercial. Les
rez-de-chaussée de plusieurs maisons
situées sur la rue St-Pierre sont louées
à des commerces tandis que les étages
supérieurs sont loués à des bureaux
de notaires et d'avocats. On y retrouve aussi
plusieurs tavernes et hôtels. De plus, on commence à attribuer une fonction bien
spécifique aux contenants d'usage
domestique. On retrouve ainsi dans la collection
tout un éventail de récipients: plusieurs
bouteilles pour le gin et aussi pour le bitter,
différentes formes de flacons pour le whisky,
le brandy et le cognac, quelques damejeannes et
bouteilles pour le vin, des bouteilles de
différentes tailles pour la bière et le
whisky, des bouteilles à fond rond et à
fond plat pour l'eau gazeuse, plusieurs petites
bouteilles pour les médicaments brevetés
et non-brevetés, quelques jarres de pharmacie,
des bouteilles pour le parfum, l'eau de
toilette, les cosmétiques, la nourriture et
l'encre. Plusieurs de ces contenants portent
des inscriptions qui sont, le plus souvent, le nom
et l'adresse du fabricant local, parfois le nom
du marchand importateur. La grande majorité de ces contenants sont
fabriqués aux Etats-Unis et au Canada. On
continue toutefois à en importer d'Europe. Fig. 4. Verre utilisé dans la période
1850-1900. De gauche à droite : bouteille pour la bière, bouteille à
fond plat pour l'eau gazeuse, flacon pour le cognac ou le whisky;
bouteille pour les marinades, bouteille pour l'eau de
toilette, bouteille pour l'encre, petite bouteille à
médicaments, bouteille pour le bitter, bouteille carrée à gin. (Photo: Yves
Martin, Direction de l'archéologie et de l'ethnologie, no.
de nég. 1979-R6-11.) On retrouve aussi quelques ustensiles en verre
pressé pour le service â la table:
sucrier, salière et poivrière, huilier.
Ceux-ci étaient, pour la plupart, importés
des Etats-Unis. Plusieurs verres à boire de
différentes formes, en verre moulé, ont
été recueillis dans les fouilles. Il
s'agit probablement de vaisselle utilisée
dans les tavernes et les hôtels. La collection de verre de la Place Royale
représente donc trois siècles
d'activités dans un quartier urbain dont
la vocation a changé au cours des siècles. Cette
collection demeure accessible aux chercheurs de
différentes disciplines pour fins de recherche.
C'est une collection dont certains artefacts
proviennent de contextes bien datés
archéologiquement. Elle peut alors servir, dans
certains cas, de référence pour
d'autres sites. NOTES 1. Nicole Genêt, "Analyse des artefacts
provenant d'un ensemble clos à Place Royale," Les maisons
Guéroult et Vanfelson à Québec: étude du
matériel archéologique, Ministère des Affaires culturelles, Direction
générale du Patrimoine, dossier 26 (Québec, 1977), pp.8-23. 2. Louise Décarie-Audet, La maison Dupont-Renaud
à Québec : un dépôt de bouteilles du 19e siècle,
Ministère des Affaires culturelles, Direction générale du
Patrimoine, dossier 27 (Québec, 1977). 3. Paul Hanrahan, "Bottles in the Place Royale
Collection," Bulletin d'histoire de la culture matérielle 6
(automne 1978): 52-73.Louise Décarie-Audet Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Many countries and forms are represented in the glass
collections of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The
first examples of glass acquired were bottles and
goblets made by a Venetian in the early 1860s in
imitation of the work of the Eastern Mediterranean
glassmakers. They were presented to the museum in
1917,one year after the creation of the Decorative
Arts section by F. Cleveland Morgan. Morgan, one of
the younger members of the Museum at the time, later held the office
of president for ten years. The most significant
contributions to the collections have been in the
form of donations, ranging from an outstanding
collection of Eastern Mediterranean glass to a large
Waterford chandelier from the palace of the Nizam of
Hyderabad. The earliest example of the glassmaker's art is an
Egyptian core-wound alabastron of the Eighteenth
Dynasty with rim finished in the form of a lotus
flower capital. This is among the 180 pieces
presented to the museum by Harry A. Norton, a
Montreal collector and connoisseur. Marbled jugs and
bowls, sand-core alabastron, free-blown flasks with
snake-thread decoration, millefiori bowls, and
unguentarium are indicative of the variety of shapes
and techniques in the Norton gift (see fig. 1). An
iridescent scale coats much of the glass to a
greater or lesser degree particularly enhancing the
appearance of mould-blown flasks and pressed glass
bowls. The size and condition of a large,
free-blown, Roman cinerary urn with cover, dating
from the first to second century A.D., is another
important vessel in the same collection. The
best-known object given by Harry Norton is an early
fourteenth-century Syrian Mosque lamp, twenty-five
centimetres high, in deep blue glass with three
handles. An inscription running around the body
reads "Made by the order of His Excellency Tu
Su, the Bey of Sauf Addin An Nasir" (Mamluk
sultan of Egypt and Syria, 1345-46). Another important Mosque lamp and a handsome globular
jar not in the Norton group are singled out for
different reasons.The lamp is also fourteenth-century Syrian but much
larger and its particularly lovely shape is rendered
more beautiful by its cool, limpid, olive green
colour (fig. 2). The jar, Palestinian from the Roman
period, was presented in 1961 to Georges P. Vanier,
Governor-General of Canada, by David Ben Gurion,
prime minister of Israel, in appreciation of an
enjoyable stay in Ottawa. In 1969 Madame Vanier gave
the jar to the Montreal Museum in memory of her
husband. Fig. 1. Left to right: Double unguentarium (height 17
cm, width 7.5 cm), Syrian, 4th-5th century A.D., transparent
glass, cat. no. 53.Dg.131; sprinkler flask (height 12 cm), ca.
3rd century A.D., blown, transparent glass, cat. no.
53.Dg.87; jar (height 7.5 cm), Egyptian or Syrian, 4th-5th century
A.D., transparent glass, cat. no. 53.Dg.126; flask (height
10.3 cm), probably Syrian, 4th century A.D., transparent glass,
cat. no. 53.Dg.132. Gift of Harry A. Norton. (Photo: Montreal
Museum of Fine Arts, neg. no. 2110.) England, Ireland, Canada, and the Eastern Mediterranean
area already referred to, are represented by
numerous examples in the collection but for other
countries only a few or even a single fine piece of
the glassmaker's art must suffice, even for
such famous regions as Bohemia and Venice. An
instance of a solitary but fine specimen of its kind is a deep blue
rosewater sprinkler from Persia. The slim snake-like
neck curves up to the trumpet mouth and though it is
dated towards the end of the seventeenth and
possibly the beginning of the eighteenth century, it
repeats a shape already known through many centuries
and one to be copied up to the present one.
Predating the sprinkler by a hundred years is a five
Venetian tazza decorated with a gold scale pattern
and rows of coloured enamel dots. Fig. 2. Mosque lamp (35.5 cm), Syrian, 1330-60 A.D., enamelled glass, cat. no. 60.Dg.l. Gift of Mrs. W. Durie McLennan, (Photo:
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, neg. no. 2113.) A few seventeenth-century German enamelled flasks and
tumblers follow traditional patterns of naive
likenesses of young women set amid a scattering of
blossoms. They are typical of their kind and quite
charming. Finer and more delicate is a beautiful example of Zwischenglaser in the form of an
eighteenth-century Bohemian tumbler. It depicts
huntsmen and hounds in a formal garden scene
engraved in gold and silver leaf on the outer
surface of the tumbler's inner glass; the
outside shell is faintly ribbed but bare of
decoration. Zwischenglaser consists of two glasses,
one made to fit exactly into the other, the
decoration being on the outside of the inner vessel
The two layers are fastened together by a colourless
cement or by fusion. As recently as 1973 there was virtually no Canadian
glass in the museum. When this lack came to the
attention of two members unknown to each other, one
established a purchasing fund for Canadian glass and
the other donated over 260 pieces to the collection. As mentioned before English and Irish glass is
reasonably plentiful in the museum's
collection. Waterford comprises more than half of
the Irish group with the most important object being
an outstanding chandelier once in the palace of the
Nizam of Hyderabad (fig. 3). The chandelier is truly
fit for a king. Glittering shafts rise from
cut-glass canopies, pendant lustres hang from every
tier and shining loops link the faceted
arms.The English glass includes drinking glasses in all
forms, decanters, candlesticks, and bowls of many
types plus another chandelier. Spanish glass consists of two pieces from the famous
factory of La Granja de San Ildefonso. One is an
agate glass flagon and the other is an etched pocket
glass bearing the name of the owner, Juan Gallego;
both date to the eighteenth century. René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany are
represented by excellent specimens, and a fine
Steuben goblet commemorating the bicentennial year
of the United States is the much-appreciated gift of
the American Women's Club of Montreal. Stained glass panels range in date from 1245 to
1961.Two from the Lady Chapel, Abbey Church of St.
Germain-des-Prês, Paris, are outstanding
treasures of the museum and always on view. Two border fragments once thought to be part of
the same window were finally identified as being
from the Lady Chapel of Rouen cathedral, ca. 1300.
In another vein are minstrel figures designed by
William Morris and executed by Pozzi and Singleton
of Morris and Company in 1882. Still more modern is
a stained glass mosaic set in cement — the
work of François Gillen of Paris in 1961. Fig. 3. Cut glass chandelier (height 155cm, width 120 cm), Irish Waterford, late 18th century (after 1780) , cat. no. 970.Dg.4.
Gift of anonymous donor. (Photo: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, neg. no. 2125.) The policy of the museum is not to ignore the work of
young Canadian artists. Therefore from time to time
good examples of their art are added to the
collection resulting in a very interesting and
worthwhile group of taste, talent, and promise. Ruth A. Jackson National Museum of Man The National Museum of Man's glass collection,
accumulated over the past twelve years by the
museum's History Division, comprises
approximately 750 pieces covering representative
styles used in Canada primarily during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a few early
pieces from the late eighteenth century. This
summary does not include approximately 200 lamps and
accessories plus several hundred bottles which the
division usually treats as separate categories.
Since very little of the glass has ever been the
subject of exhibition or publication, the purpose of
this outline is to describe the collection briefly
for the information of researchers. Canadian glass is the largest category in the
collection, in accordance with the mandate of the
History Division to collect objects which reflect
the social and economic history of the
non-indigenous peoples of Canada. The origins of
many of these pieces are currently being
re-evaluated, and many will be re-named and
re-catalogued as on-going archival and
archaeological research is published. The earliest and rarest Canadian glasswares in the
collection are three pieces attributed to the
Mallorytown glassworks, ca. 1839-40. The rest of the
Canadian glass is primarily pressed glass
tablewares, with approximately sixty patterns and
variants represented. Included in this group are
several "new" patterns, some of which were
originally acquired as examples of American pressed
glass but which were subsequently found to have been
produced in Canada. The collection is not intended
to include every pattern made (or thought to have
been made) in Canada, but rather to provide a
representative selection illustrating the production
of Canadian glasshouses. Glass which has been cut or
engraved by Canadian companies from imported blanks
is also being collected. American glass has an almost equal importance in the
History Division's collecting programme as
examples of material which would have found its way into many Canadian homes. Several
fine pieces of Sandwich glass have been acquired,
plus examples of American art glass of various
periods. One primary interest in American glass is
in its potential exhibition value and it is in this
area that pressed glass assumes particular
importance. Because of the close relationship
between Canadian and American pressed glass styles,
the common use of moulds, and the abundance of
American pieces found in this country, these items
can be used in future exhibits illustrating the
perilous nature of glass manufacturing in Canada and
the effect of north-south trade patterns on Canadian
social and economic life. Vase with applied decoration (height 22.5 cm), ca. 1885, made by Stevens and Williams of Brierly Hill, Staffordshire, England.
Cat. no. 978.33.2. (Photo: National Museums of Canada, neg. no. 78-6478.) A smaller section of the collection, but still
significant, contains examples of English and Irish
glass of the type imported to Canada, especially in the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries. The acquisition of English and
Irish glass is perhaps one of the most difficult
areas of collecting because of the guidelines which
have been established to collect primarily pieces
with a Canadian history or association. Many of
these pieces, because of their age, have lost all
record of their original provenance and often no
legitimate association with Canada can be proven.
Despite these restrictions, some fine representative
objects have been acquired. Tablewares are not the only types of glass represented
in the collection. Many interesting Canadian
whimseys have been collected, as well as toys,
perfume and other dressing table containers,
paperweights, epergnes, etc., from both Europe and
North America. Art glass forms a fundamental part of
the collection, with Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Art
Deco objects by some of the most prominent names in
this field — Tiffany, Galle, Lalique, Daum
Frères, Quezal, Steuben. These are not always
the finest examples of the art, but, once again,
represent styles which would have been available in
Canada at the height of their popularity. Researchers who are interested in visiting the glass
collection are invited to contact the History
Division which hopes to be operating normally again
sometime in the next few years. Acquisition and
cataloguing is continuing during this difficult
period while the main storage building is closed,
and it is hoped that soon the collection can be
used, as it should be, as a basis for research,
publications, and exhibitions. Judith Tomlin Le verre dans les collections de réserve de la Division de Présentation de Parcs Canada La Division de Présentation de Parcs Canada est,
grâce à son mandat, responsable du
réameublement d'époque pour
l'ensemble de ses lieux historiques nationaux.
Afin de s'acquitter de cette tâche, la
Division accumule depuis bientôt quinze ans
d'importantes collections de réserve dont
la nature et l'usage qu'on leur destine
les différencient des autres collections
muséologiques canadiennes. Les pièces qui constituent ces collections de
réserve se divisent en deux catégories. La
première collection se compose d'objets
originels et de reproductions qui serviront au
réameublement éventuel des divers lieux
historiques. La deuxième, dite collection de
prototypes, regroupe, pour la plupart, des objets
originels à exemplaire unique qui serviront de
référence pour la reproduction de
répliques. La diversité des lieux à interpréter est
le facteur primordial déterminant
l'échantillonnage des collections dont
l'aspect hétéroclite peut, à
première vue, surprendre. En effet, le
réameublement d'un poste militaire de
1812, tel Fort St-Joseph en Ontario, requiert des
objets différents par rapport à celui de
St. James en Colombie-Britannique ou, si l'on
veut pousser davantage la comparaison, par rapport
à celui d'un vapeur à roues des
années 19 30, le S.S. Klondike, au Yukon. La disponibilité éventuelle plus ou moins
assurée de certainsobjets et la nature de
certains lieux à interpréter, qu'il
s'agisse d'un poste de traite ou d'un
magasin général, sont des facteurs qui
influencent l'attitude du conservateur lors de
l'achat et qui expliquent l'accumulation
d'un même objet dans la collection. Si on examine de près la collection de verre, on
constate que les divers facteurs énoncés
précédemment en influencèrent la
composition. Cette collection présente une
multitude d'objets domestiques, de qualité et d'époque
différentes. Elle passe du verre à vin et
de la carafe en cristal de plomb du XVIIIe
siècle (fig. 1) au couvert de table en verre
moulé de la fin du XIXe siècle, sans
oublier les nombreux appareils d'éclairage
représentant un siècle et demi
d'histoire. Fig. 1. A gauche, bouteille de vin (hauteur 22.3 cm), verre noir, Angleterre, 1790-1810, n° de cat. X77.337.30; à droite,
carafe et verre (hauteur 22.6 cm et 10.1 cm), verre de plomb, Angleterre, ca. 1780-90, nos de cat. FC78.6.1a,b et X76.186.1.
Photo: Parcs Canada, no de nég. AF 806.) La Division a acquis, en 1970 et en 1973, deux
collections importantes, soit quelque 5,000
bouteilles et récipients de verre qui
constituaient le fonds d'inventaire d'une
pharmacie de la Nouvelle-Ecosse. Bon nombre de ces
bouteilles nous parvinrent emballées,
étiquetées et remplies de leur contenu
d'origine, offrant ainsi une gamme
complète de produits pharmaceutiques et de
beauté, d'essences variées et de
spiritueux (fig. 2). Tel que mentionné précédemment, afin de
répondre aux prérequis de certains lieux
exigeant plusieurs exemplaires d'un même objet, le conservateur doit recourir, à
défaut de pièces originelles suffisantes,
à des répliques. Dans le cas de
l'étalage du magasin de Fort St. James, le
conservateur du projet, Wayne Colwell, utilisa deux
genres de répliques. L'un d'eux est
la réplique partielle, c'est-à-dire
qu'on remplit un contenant originel, par
exemple une bouteille de cognac ou de whisky,
d'un contenu imitant le produit voulu sur
lequel on met une reproduction d'étiquette
et un bouchon.Fig. 2. Exemples de différents produits
pharmaceutiques de la >collection de prototypes des collections de
réserve. (Photo: Parcs Canada, n de nég. AF 809.) Cependant, dans le cas d'un autre produit, en
1'occurence une bière d'importation
américaine, le conservateur dut faire faire une réplique complète de l'objet.
Après maintes recherches au Canada et aux
Etats-Unis, monsieur Colwell dénicha une
compagnie du New Jersey, se spécialisant dans
la reproduction d'objets en verre, genre
souvenirs, qui accepta de reproduire un
échantillon conforme à nos
spécifications. La réplique terminé,
on procéda à l'embouteillage et
à l'emballage du produit afin
d'obtenir le résultat escompté (fig.
3) soit une bière embouteillée par la
California Bottling Co. sous étiquettes
"JOHN WIELAND" ou "IMPERIAL." Ce
n'était pas la première fois que
cette division de Parcs Canada avait recours à
la reproduction, mais avec un matériau comme le
verre, cette expérience fut une innovation. Fig. 3. Bouteilles de bière (hauteur 22.9
cm), ca. 1890, répliques, nos de cat. X77.505.1. (Photo: Parcs Canada, no de nég. AF 80 5.) Se servant du verre comme exemple, nous avons tenté
d'illustrer dans ce bref exposé, une des
nombreuses facettes des collections de réserve de Parcs Canada, tout en
mettant l'accent sur le défi impliqué
dans leur préservation et leur utilisation. Suzanne Laçasse Gales The Archaeological Glass Collections of Parks Canada The archaeology programme of Parks Canada, which began
in 1962, is carried out generally to support the
restoration, reconstruction, and interpretation of
National Historic Parks and Sites. In the years
since 1962 the department has conducted
archaeological excavations all across Canada, both
underwater and on land. The types of sites vary
widely, including those used by the French and
British military, fur traders, explorers, settlers,
and industrialists. Collection. Because the glass has been found in
archaeological excavations it is generally in poor
conditions and mostly in fragments; complete or
restorable objects are rare. Nevertheless, from
these fragments it is usually possible to determine
the form/function of an object, its date, and
sometimes the country of manufacture. The
archaeological record provides some of the best
evidence of what was available in Canada and what
was in use at different time periods. As well, the
archaeological material has contributions to make to
the general study of glass in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. The collection includes most of the major forms made in
glass — bottles, jars, tableware, lamps and
lamp chimneys, insulators, window and mirror glass,
marbles, beads, and so on. Generally the glassware
dates from 1700 to the present and includes material made in France and other European
countries, Great Britain, Canada, and the United
States. The collection is enormous, estimated to
consist of several million pieces. Location. A limited selection of archaeological material
has been used in on-site interpretive displays. The
bulk of the glassware, however, is currently stored
in Ottawa or in one of the five regional offices
located in Calgary, Winnipeg, Cornwall, Quebec, and
Halifax. The Fortress of Louisbourg material is
stored in Louisbourg. Accessibility. The collections themselves are not open
to the public. Arrangements may be made on a limited
basis for researchers and interested groups to see
the collections. Permission will depend on the
availability of staff time, the method of storage,
the geographical location of the collection, and the
nature of the enquiry. Publications. Some site collections have been published,
either as specialized glass studies or in
archaeological site reports. The department has
three different series which can be consulted for
reports of this nature: the Manuscript Report Series
is an internal, unedited report, copies of which are
deposited in the Public Archives of Canada and in
each of the provincial archives; History and
Archaeology/Histoire et archéologie and
Canadian Historic Sites; Occasional Papers in
Archaeology and History/Lieux historiques canadiens;
Cahiers d'archéologie et d'histoire
are available in bookstores. Short articles on sites
or on glassware found on sites may also be found in
professional and popular journals. Olive Jones Glenbow Museum The collecting policy of the Glenbow Museum is addressed
to collecting, preserving, and recording the history
and material history of Western Canada. The nature
of the glass collection, however, has been largely
defined by the sum total of several large private
collections acquired by the museum in the
past.Not surprisingly it tends to reflect the archetypal
collectable — the paperweight, the bottle,
the crystallo-ceramie, the Lalique figurine, the
Steuben limited edition, and Victorian pressed glass
tablewares. More recently, the scope of the glass
collection has broadened to reflect a fuller range
of interests and activities of the past. Glassware made for utilitarian and ornamental purposes
comes under the umbrella of the Cultural History
Department. Glass sculpture and certain special
collections are to be found in the Art Department.
In terms of sheer numbers, pressed glass and
mould-blown tablewares, performing the full range of
food service, comprise the largest single category.
These, along with related tablewares such as
spooners, knife rests, and toothpick holders, date
to the last quarter of the nineteenth century and
the first quarter of the twentieth century. Stemware
and related beverage servers such as decanters,
steins, and soda syphons, are from the same period,
with some notable exceptions. Stemware and such
oddities as spirit drams and wine glass coolers
include Georgian and Jacobite glassware of the
eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Toiletries, ornamental items such as vases,
lighting-related items, nursery articles, and hand
grenade fire extinguishers are represented among the
glasswares of Edwardian and late Victorian
households. The above-mentioned glassware has little relevance to
Canadian glass production. With few exceptions, the
tablewares largely hail from the glasshouses of the
eastern United States. Canadian glass manufacturers
have been identified in a few instances, notably a tazza by the Nova Scotia Glass
Company, Trenton, Nova Scotia, and several
tablewares attributed to the Jefferson Glass Company
of Toronto. Not immediately relevant, perhaps, but
interesting nonetheless are the pickle castor frames
made by a number of Toronto and Montreal firms;
their glass components have eluded documentation. Epergne (height ca. 57 cm), ca. 1825-87, clear glass shading to cranberry. Maker not known. Cat. no. H.65.55.12a-h. (Photo:
Glenbow Museum, neg. no. P-1880-1.) Food and beverage storage containers, including all
manner of bottles and jars, represent a fair number
of Canadian and Western Canadian breweries, dairies,
soda and mineral water manufacturers, bottling
companies and the like. In category size it is
second only to the tablewares. Commercial history is also expressed in the as yet
lightweight category of advertising premiums. An
example is a paperweight promoting "A.
MACDONALD & Co./WHOLESALE GROCERS/&/PORK PACKERS,/ MAIN St. WINNIPEG." Glassware with
institutional affiliation is equally
underrepresented; one example is a set of small,
handmade plates bearing the provincial crest and the
inscription "GOVERNMENT-HOUSE/ALBERTA."
Souvenirs and mementos commemorating historic
personalities and events include a number of royal
souvenirs of coronations, jubilees, and tours. A
more recent example is the engraved crystal
sculpture, "Building a Nation."
Commissioned in 1963 to commemorate Canada's
Centennial, it was designed by James Houston and
made by Steuben Glass craftsmen in Corning, New
York. Tumbler (height 9.2 cm), ca. 1895-1905. Despite the name appearing on the tumbler, the Calgary Brewing Se Malting Company,
Calgary, was founded and incorporated under that name in 1892. Cat. no. C-13308. (Photo: Glenbow Museum, neg. no. P-1882.)
Pickle castor (height 29 cm). Frame is stamped "STANDARD SILVER CO. LTD./ TORONTO/QUADRUPLE PLATE"; jar is clear pressed glass
in Sprig pattern made by Bryce, Higbee Si Company, Pittsburgh, Penn. (1879-ca.1900). Reputed to have been used on the C.P.R.
transcontinental in 1886. Cat. no. H.65.5.60. (Photo: Glenbow Museum, neg. no. P-1883.) Several other categories of glass can be singled out. A
group of sulphides or crystallo-ceramie, moulded
porcelaneous material embedded in a variety of
articles such as decanters, seals, lamp bases, and
paperweights, is believed to date from the early
nineteenth century. Domestic, leaded, stained glass
windows remain wholly undocumented as yet. The last
grouping constitutes a large collection of lantern
slides, many of which are. hand-painted; topics
range from scientific to religious, military to
comic. Finally, while not glassware in its strictest
sense, a "harmonica" or set of musical
goblets in a mahogany cabinet bears mentioning. It
is believed to date from the early nineteenth
century. It is encouraging to see how quickly research on glass
in Canada is progressing, and the excitement
generated from the work is catching. Thanks to the
efforts of former Glenbow staff member Margaret
Blair, a substantial amount of the collection has
been documented, as far as possible, as to age and
maker, but much of the basic groundwork remains to
be done. I might end with an invitation to
researchers in the field to visit the Cultural
History Department to examine the glass collection
in the hope that we may learn from one another. Frances Roback A NOTE ON EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LAND-SURVEYING EQUIPMENT
AND SUPPLIES Supplies requisitioned and used by Samuel Holland, first
Surveyor-General of British North America, are an
excellent source of information on the materiel of
an eighteenth-century land-survey party. The data
listed below are valid for a British survey team
during the 1760s and 1770s and may be complemented
by other British and French data in order to broaden
the field of research. Samuel Jan Holland was Surveyor-General not only of
Quebec/ Lower Canada from 1764 until his death in
1801 but also of the "Northern District"
of British North America (all land north of the
Potomac River) from 1764 until his expulsion from
New Jersey in 177 5. Like many of his fellow land
surveyors, Holland was trained as a military
engineer. One of several Dutch engineer officers
recruited by the British about 1757 for service in
North America, his technical training was second
only to that available in France at the time. During
the period 1764-6 8 his- surveys covered Prince
Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, the Magdalen
Islands, the coast of Chaleur Bay, and the St.
Lawrence River shores below Quebec. His survey
parties ranged from twenty-five to thirty persons
including himself, other army officers and civilians
classed as surveyors (the "gentlemen"),
several apprentice-surveyors who might include a
senior N.C.O. (the "assistants"), and
twelve to nineteen soldiers (the
"privates") who performed menial duties. Following his appointment as Surveyor-General in 1764,
Holland estimated that, in order to survey
"with exactness," he would need the
following: 1. an astronomical quadrant;2. a mecrometer; 3. a theodolite, with a vertical arch and a telescope divided to every minute; 4. three pocket theodolites; 5. a large theodolite divided to every minute;6. an azimuth compass; 7. a 12-inch round protractor with index and nones to every minute; 8. a Hadley's quadrant, 18-inch radius; 9. one telescope and rule; 10. Mr. Short's reflecting telescope, 24-inch focal
length; Rockworth stand; 11. Skelton's clock or timepiece for astronomical
observations; 12. a pair of globes, 17-inch; 13. a copying glass; 14. three brass fifty-foot chains; . 15. stationery, wares and drawing paper. Before the end of 1764 Holland's agent in London,
Richard Cumberland, bought : 1. colours for map making; 2. brass letters; 3. a telescope (from Mr. Short); 4. stationery from Mr. Coles; 5. a regulator, from Mudge and Dutton; 6. a telescope from Mr. Dolland; 7. sundries from Mr. Heath.2 In 1765 Holland wrote to Cumberland that he needed, in
addition to the foregoing: 1. three good plane tables, 16 inches in the clear,
without the frame, made of the best and driest mahogany, with pieces let in across the grain of the wood to prevent shrinking
with the weather; 2. a brass frame with screws to confine the paper, that
no wind can get underneath it; 3. on the frame must be a scale of 4,000 feet to one
inch, and one of miles in the same proportion, divided by diagonals into Gunter's chains; 4. a good well-divided compass of no less than 5 inches, the needle of which must draw out from beneath the plane table; 5. three exact parallel rulers of brass, the length of
the diagonal of the instrument, with double sights; 6. a brass point in the centre of the Table, where the middle of the parallel ruler turns upon; 7. the legs must be the same as Heath's and
Wing's improved theodolite shod with brass with steel points, the whole strong and firm; 8. three waxed linen covers to put upon the top when on
duty, in going from station to station; 9. let the covers be put into strong boxes, with some divisions or drawers to put papers, pencils, etc. in, necessary for the business; 10. a magnet large enough to touch needles; 11. one of the best barometers divided for the measuring of mountains, with a nones if any are made on Monsieur de Levi's
principles. They would be the best. Two small ones to carry in the Plane Table Box, or in a case for the pocket; 12. one roll of the finest silver wire; 13. a treatise of the Barometer, to be got at Mr. Paul Vaillant, Bookseller, intituled, "Traité sur
les baromètres et l'atmosphère" par
Monsieur T.A. de Lac, Citoyen de Genève; 14. six pairs of green glass spectacles; 15. six dozen of the best black lead pencils, of
different sizes; 16. one of Dolland's three-inch telescopes which
draws out in two pieces, with a leather cover and sling; 17. one pocket telescope; 18. twelve quires large drawing paper, 40 inches long by 26 inches broad; 19. ten quires writing paper; 20. ten quires plain table paper; 21. ten quires foolscap; 22. eight quires gilt letter; 23. ten quires small gilt letter; 24. twelve quires covering gilt letter; 25. twelve quires blue covering gilt letter. Holland specified that the paper was to be the best
obtainable from Mr. Cole's stationery warehouse
in Fleet Street near Temple Bar. Writing later the same year, Holland asked
Cumberland to send two more Hadley's quadrants
of the same construction as those by Heath and Wing,
except that he would have no objection to a larger
radius in order to observe the latitude to one-half
or one-quarter minute. In 1766 Holland complained of not having received the
paper, of having received some things from the
instrument makers that he had not ordered, and of
having discovered that "Bird's
quadrant" was neither the size nor of the
construction agreed upon and much inferior to
Hadley's in service, composition, and expense.
There was so much wear and tear on his equipment, he
said, that it was fortunate that there was an
instrument maker in the party to carry out repair
work. He asked for clothing, tents, kettles, boats,
and hatchets for his party, the tents to be
appropriately labelled as the property of the Board
of Trade and Plantations. He placed a long order
with Cumberland to purchase the following for the
"gentlemen": 1. 40 yards superfine green broadcloth; 2. 50 yards superfine green shalloon; 3. 40 dozen double gilt newfashioned coat buttons; 4. 30 dozen double gilt waistcoat buttons; 5. 50 slips silk twist; 6. 40 slips sowing silk; 7. 10 yards buckram; 8. 30 pennyworth stay tape; 9. 10 pairs gold knee garters; 10. 40 yards white fustian; 11. 20 shammy skins; 12. 10 yards glazed linen; 13. 20 ounces green thread; 14. 10 yards green Genoa velvet; 15. 60 pairs neat shoes, double-channelled pumps, as follows: 6 pairs of nines, six pairs of fours, and sevens and eights; 16. 210 yards narrow gold lace; 17. 6 hats, newest fashion, with gold loop, band and
buttons, For the "assistants" Cumberland was to obtain: 1. 10 1/2 yards green broadcloth; 2. 12 dozen double gilt buttons; 3. 9 dozen waistcoat buttons; 4. 6 3/4 yards green hair plush; 5. 31 yards narrow gold lace; 6. 13 yards green velvet; 7. 3 pairs gold knee garters; 8. 3 hats, newest fashion.And for the "privates" he was asked to order: 1. 70 yards green broadcloth; 2. 80 dozen single gilt coat buttons; 3. 60 dozen waistcoat buttons; 4. 115 slips of silk twist; 5. 92 slips of sowing silk Csicll; 6. 46 ounces of green thread; 7. 23 yards of buckram; 8. 63 pennyworth stay tape; 9. 33 yards white fustian; 10. 51 3/4 yards green hair plush; 11. 46 shammy skins; 12. 12 dozen men's shoes, different sizes, none
small; 13. 241 yards Irish linen; 14. 242 yards of the same at a higher price; 15. 138 pairs of worsted hose of different colours; 16. 30 leather caps with the emblem of the Board of
Trade embossed in front on brass, gilt; 17. three plain silver watches, showing seconds; 18. six drawing instrument cases; 19. 12 unclasped best penknives; Fig. 1. Astronomical clock (height 198.1 cm) made by George Graham, London, England. Collection: National Museum of Man, cat.
no. D-5579. (Photo: National Museums of Canada, neg. no. 78-5571.) Fig. 2. Face of clock (detail of fig. 1). 20. 10 fifty-iron chains; 21. two Gunters iron chains;22. Hull's new invented instrument for
detecting frauds in gold;23. 60 yards swan skin or flannel.Holland's end-of-year account claimed for camp
kettles, a large copper kettle for making spruce
beer, paper and stationery from Halifax to tide him
over, and boards, nails, etc. for making a drawing table and for building an observatory. In a memorandum of 20 April 1767 to the authorities in
London, Holland lists the most important of the
instruments used in his surveys: 1. A monthly astronomical clock or timepiece with a compounded pendulum, and a spring to keep it going when the clock is wound
up; made by the late Mr. George Graham [see figs. 1 and 2]. 2. An astronomical quadrant, or equal altitude instrument of 2 feet radius, divided by Mr. Sissons and improved with an horizontal
circle and stand; by Heath and Wing.3. A two-foot Gregorian reflecting telescope; made
by Mr. Short. 4. A ten-foot refracting telescope, reversing
the objects; made by Mr. Do Hand. Regarding the Graham astronomical clock, Holland
explains more fully: In building the winter habitation on St. John's Island CPrince Edward Island:, I constructed a strong stone chimney, to the back of which I secured the clock with the greatest precaution, and the room was kept temperate by an iron stove. In a few days the clock was regulated to mean or equal time; and always examined and compared by equal altitudes of the sun and stars, at or near the time when any immersions or emersions were to be observed. As the going of this clock is not inferior to any made by that renowned artist Mr. Graham, it will not be necessary to insert here a multitude of equal altitudes, and other observations to prove the exactness of this clock, but only mention that I have made use of Monsieur de la Lande's Tables to rectify the equal altitudes of the sun, for the alteration of the sun's declination, during the time of observation.8 The end-of-year accounts from 1768 to 1775 provide
further information about the material
preoccupations of Holland's survey parties.
Funds were spent on snowshoes, fuel (coal or wood),
stationery, isinglass, repair materials for
instruments, colours for maps, wood for building
tables, grapins or corks for men's shoes
against the ice, ink, powder, quills, thread for
tents, glue, oil and borax for the instruments,
alum, "iron dogs," candlesticks, bellows,
bookshelves, a compass box, solder, glass for a
plane table, brass for instrument repairs, a stand
for a quadrant, a nautical almanac, Connaissance des
temps, a box for completed plans, twine for altering
tents and sails, new bottoms for camp kettles, an
iron pot, nails for repairing a canoe, a tin fender
and fireplate for the office, axes, nails and screws
for instrument boxes, nails and brads for boats, cod
lines and hooks, an achromatic telescope by Dolland,
leather straps for plane-table boxes, window glass,
a padlock and staples for a boat, an anchor,
lampblack, an ironbound cask for a quadrant stand, a
hammer, tacks, flint and stones, and one pound of
fine emery. Armed with the foregoing museum curators should be well
enough informed, within reason, to draw up an
inventory for a mid to late-eighteenth-century
survey party. (Acquiring all the necessary artifacts
for an exhibition would be more difficult.) As for
earlier and later periods researchers may consider
these notes to be an introduction to the problem and
to look for comparable sources in the accounts of
surveys conducted in other areas and at other times,
particularly as new lands were being opened up to
settlement and development. NOTES 1. D.C. Harvey, ed., Holland's Description of Cape
Breton Island. (Halifax Public Archives of Nova Scotia,
T935), pp.35-38, taken from Public Record Office (P.R.O.),
London: Audit Office (A.O.) 3, vol. 140. 2. P.R.O., A.0.3, vol. 140/6: transcript in the Public
Archives of Canada (P.A.C.) MG 14/3, pp.63-64. "Mr.
Heath" was of Heath and Wing, London instrument makers. 3. P.A.C, MG 24, K2, vol. 6, pp.69-70. 4. Ibid., pp.215-16. 5. Ibid., pp.224-32. 6. Ibid., pp.232-34. 7. Harvey, Holland's Description, p.56. 8. Ibid., p.50. Holland refers to the first edition of Joseph-Jerome Lefrançois de la Lande, Traité
de l'Astronomie, 2 vols. (Paris: n.p., 1764), article 637, p.279. 9. In P.R.O., A.0.3, vol. 140 (P.A.C. transcript MG
14/3, pp.31-60). During this period Holland worked chiefly in what became the United States. 10. The account for 1775 (ibid., pp.57-60) claims for
1,000 Dutch quills and 3,000 crowquills F.J. Thorpe MERCURY SERIES PUBLICATIONS/PUBLICATIONS DE LA
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1974. Out of print - Epuisé] No. 8 Hardy, Jean-Pierre. Un ferblantier de campagne
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1976. Free - Gratuit No. 21 Watt, Robb, and Riley, Barbara, eds./réd.
Material History Bulletin/Bulletin d'histoire de la culture matérielle C2D. Out of print - Epuisé] No. 22 Shakespeare, Mary, and Pain, Rodney H. West Coast Logging 1840-1910. 1977. Free - Gratuit No. 23 Bernier, Jacques. Les intérieurs domestiques
des menuisiers et charpentiers de la région de
Québec 1810-1819. 1977. Free - Gratuit No. 24 Artibise, Alan F.J., and Artibise,
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Free - Gratuit No. 25 Muise, D.A., ed. Approaches to Native History in Canada: Papers of a Conference held at the National Museum of Man,
October 1975. Out of Print - EpuiséNo. 26 Koltun, Lilly. The Cabinetmaker's Art in
Ontario, c. 1850-1900. 1979. Free - Gratuit No. 27 Richeson, David R., ed. Western Canadian History: Museum Interpretations. 1979. Free - Gratuit FOLKLORE BIBLIOGRAPHY/BIBLIOGRAPHIE DES ARTS POPULAIRES The editor and staff of the Internationale
Volkskundliche Bibliographie/ International Folklore and Folklife
Bibliography/ Bibliographie Internationale des Arts et Traditions
Populaires are seeking new and supplemental bibliographical data
for inclusion in the 1977-78 issue of the series.
Particularly of interest are items which appear in journals or through
presses other than major folklore publications. The Bibliography
will also publish supplemental materials for preceding years
along with the bibliographical entries for the announced
years. The Bibliography publishes every two years the most substantial folklore bibliography available to libraries
and researchers. In 1976 Rolf Wilhelm Brednich (Freiburg im Breisgau) was named to the editorship by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Volkskunde. He immediately put out a
call in Europe asking folklorists for expanded collaboration.
The results of this attempt to make the Bibliography more
exhaustive were most gratifying and a similar attempt is now being
made in the United States. Two new American collaborators have recently joined the staff. Bibliographical entries should be sent to: James R. Dow or Merle E. Simmons Foreign Languages and Spanish and Portuguese Literatures Indiana University Iowa State University Bloomington, Indiana Ames, Iowa 50011 47401 Subscription orders are best sent directly to the publisher: Verlag Dr. Rudolf Habelt Am Buchenhang 1, D-5300 Bonn 5 West Germany La rédaction et le personnel de
1'Internationale Volkskundliche Bibliographie/ International
Folklorë~and Folklife Bibliography/ Bibliographie Internationale des
Arts et Traditions Populaires sont à la recherche de
données bibliographiques nouvelles ou complémentaires pour leur
numéro de 1977-1978. Ils s'intéressent tout
particulièrement aux articles parus dans des revues autres que les principales publications
sur les arts populaires et aux ouvrages publiés par les
maisons d'édition qui ne se spécialisent pas dans ce domaine. La
Bibliographie publiera, en plus des notices bibliographiques pour les
années 1977-1978, des informations complémentaires pour
les années précédentes. Cette publication bisannuelle est la plus importante bibliographie des arts populaires mise à la
disposition des bibliothèques et des chercheurs. En 1976, Rolf
Wilhelm Brednich (Freiburg im Breisgau) a été nommé au
poste de rédacteur en chef du Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Volkskunde. Il a
aussitôt lancé un appel en Europe demandant une collaboration accrue de
la part des folkloristes. Cet effort pour donner plus
d'ampleur à la bibliographie a donné des résultats très
encourageants et l'appel a maintenant été lancé aux Etats-Unis. Deux nouveaux collaborateurs américains se sont
récemment joints à l'équipe de la Bibliographie.
Les notices bibliographiques peuvent donc être envoyées à: James R. Dow ou Merle E. Simmons Foreign Languages and Spanish and Portuguese Literatures Indiana University Iowa State University Bloomington, Indiana Ames, Iowa 50011 47401 Pour obtenir un abonnement, il serait
préférable de s'adresser directement à l'éditeur: Verlag Dr Rudolf Habelt Am Buchenhang 1 D-5300 Bonn 5 Allemagne de l'Ouest SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE IN CANADA/ SOCIETE POUR L'ETUDE DE L'ARCHITECTURE AU
CANADA Anyone interested in Canada's architectural
heritage and modern architecture will find membership in the Society
for the Study of Architecture in Canada rewarding. We are a
recently-constituted non-profit group dedicated to the study of
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l'architecture au Canada C.P. 2935, Succursale D Ottawa (Ontario) KIP 5W9 REPLY TO "GLASS IN CANADA: AN ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY" I was most disturbed to read the review of my 1968-69
published material which appeared in "Glass in
Canada: An Annotated Bibliography" (Material
History Bulletin no. 6, pp.115-48) by Janet Holmes
and Olive Jones. I am especially grieved to have to
question the reviewers' comments on the matter
of the production of sherds at the Burlington Glass
Works and on the production technique for "Coin
spot" and "Lattice" opalescent glass. In reviewing my published materials, the co-authors have
added a cautionary note: There are enough unknown factors in the company's history, however, that the presence of these sherds on the site does not guarantee production by the Burlington Glass Works, (p.139) This caveat is made concerning the fourteen patterns of
pressed and blown tablewares which I identified
through sherds recovered from the site in 1967 and
reported in the Canadian Antiques Collector from
April 1968 to January 1969. Those patterns are as
follows: Deer and Dog, Pleat and Panel, Garfield
Drape, Graduated Diamond, Beaded Flange, Chain with
Star, Anderson, Gesner Lamp, Frosted Butterfly Lamp,
Westward Ho!, Boling (lamps), Coindot (Coinspot),
Lattice, and Ribbed Forget-Me-Not. In The Book of Canadian Antiques (Toronto: McGraw-Hill
Ryerson, 1974) edited by Donald Blake Webster,
Curator of the Canadians Gallery, Royal Ontario
Museum, Holmes1 chapter, "Glass and the Glass
Industry," included a list of pressed and blown
tablewares produced by the Burlington Glass Works
and identified from sherds found on the site
(p.278). Amongst the many patterns listed by Holmes
are all of the fourteen patterns which I published
in the Canadian Antiques Collector in 1968-69, as
well as approximately seventy additional patterns
which were identified by me in assessing the
materials recovered during the 1969 excavation of
the site. Also included in the foregoing list are
patterns attributed to the factory by Gerald Stevens
and a few which relate to pieces of glass donated to
the Royal Ontario Museum by a relative of William
Godkin Beach (a one-time manager of the Works). In their annotated bibliography Holmes and Jones assess
the Holmes chapter as "a good basic survey of
the Canadian Glass Industry up to ca. 1925."
There is no caveat as was attached to the review of
my Canadian Antiques Collector material, although
all my attributions were included in the Holmes
material. To be consistent the reviewers, if they insist in
dismissing my attributions on the basis of sherds
recovered from the Burlington site, should have
added their cautionary note to the Holmes material
and the Gerald Stevens Burlington material and
should even have questioned the MacLaren reports and
the attributions which were made therein to the Nova
Scotia Glass Company (which attributions were also
based on materials recovered from the site). In assessing the article I wrote in the November 1968
issue of the Canadian Antiques Collector the
reviewers said: A careful attempt is made on the basis of the two fragments found to explain the production technique for "Coin spot" and "Lattice" opalescent glass. However, this type of glass belongs to the heat-sensitive formula glass, using bone ash and arsenic, made as commercial ware from the mid 1880s on. The method of production, simpler than that described in this article, is discussed in A.C. Revi, Nineteenth Century Glass, Its Genesis and Development (New York: Nelson, 1959), chapter "Shaded Opalescent Glassware." Sheeler cites the book but not the correct chapter, (p.140) My suggested method of the technique employed in the
making of Coin spot and Lattice was arrived at after
careful examination of the two sherds in question
(which have been on public display in the Canadiana
Gallery of the Royal Ontario Museum for the past ten
years). At the time I wrote the article I read Revi's
chapter on "Shaded Opalescent Glassware"
and rejected it because this technique relies on
coating the entire outer surface of the article
produced with the "heat-sensitive" glass.
This method relied on rapidly cooling and then
reheating exterior ribs or bosses (hobnails, etc.)
to achieve the opalescent effect. A close
examination of finished articles worked in this way
will disclose that the "shaded
opalescence" is rather difficult to control
— and the article has to have a heavy
intaglio design on its surface so that the raised
parts of the design will react to the reheating to
produce the opalescent effect. In view of the fact that Coin spot and Lattice have
smooth outer surfaces and inward protrusions where
the opal glass is found, one would have to assume
that, if the "heat-sensitive" method had
been used in the production, the whole body of the
piece would be opalescent and that the protrubances
would have to be located on the outside of the
article. This is not the case. I referred to Revi's chapter "Patte de
Verre" simply to indicated the use of glass
paste as the possible technique used in making these
two wares. Long after my November 196 8 article was written, I came
across U.S. Patent #398,995 issued 5 March 1889
to Thomas B. Atterbury of Pittsburgh, Pa. Atterbury's patent
specified that the gather of hot glass be rolled
over a marver which had been specially prepared with
indentations which had been filled with pulverized
glass or enamel (patte de verre?). The molten gather
picked up the pulverized glass from the marver and
was then reheated to fuse the gather and the
"pulverized" glass together. (When blown
in a mould, one can readily appreciate that the
portions of the pattern made by the incorporation of
the pulverized glass on the outside of the gather
would result in raised protruberances on the inside
of the article which would correspond directly to
the pattern of the pulverized glass picked up from
the marver by the hot gather.) The patent was
illustrated with a floral design and suggested that
this same method could be used to form all manner of
bands, stripes, letters, etc., "and all manner
of decorations could be readily and cheaply applied
to glassware of any kind." Four years have now passed since I turned over the
report on the 1969 excavation on the Burlington
Glass Works to the Canadiana Department, Royal
Ontario Museum. In light of what has happened, the
time has surely come to publish the report so that
the public can judge the issue of the tablewares
which the factory produced. John Sheeler