When Every Piece of Glass is a Carnival

Shimmering with luminescent colors on crisply molded shapes, carnival glass dazzles. Pieces were initially made to be attractive, functional, and affordable when Fenton Art Glass introduced them in 1907. This new glassware became so popular that other American manufacturers soon developed competing lines to satisfy the enormous demand. Though carnival’s “classic” period ended around 1925, […]

Vanity Set

Q: I’m trying to identify a vanity set that belonged to my great-grandmother. I believe it’s a Schaefer & Vater piece. It is made in pink porcelain, antiqued in a soft green. The figurine is of an Asian woman sitting cross-legged in a kimono and holding a fan. Holes in her head hold hatpins. The hair receiver has a woman’s face with headdress and either enamel or glaze “jewels.” There is also a little dish with a “jewel.” I’d like to verify if this piece is a Schaefer & Vater piece, the age, any history, and value.

A: Schafer & Vater was founded by Gustav Schaefer and Guenther Vater and was in business in Volkstedt-Rudolstadt, Germany, from 1890 to 1962. This mark was used beginning about 1896. The company made small ceramic items as well as figurines, dolls’ heads, and figural liquor bottles. It is best known for its amusing figurals. Vanity sets, or dresser sets, were popular from about 1860 to 1920. Some included a talcum shaker, trinket box or powder box, and tray. Sears Roebuck & Company began importing Schafer & Vater porcelain in 1910. Your great-grandmother’s hair receiver pictures an Egyptian queen and is sometimes called “Queen Nefertiti.” The trinket dish seems to be the same pattern. Although hatpin holders were also made in that pattern, your grandmother’s hatpin holder is of a different pattern, so they probably weren’t part of the same set originally. Value of your hair receiver is about $125, the hatpin holder is worth about $100 and the trinket dish about $50.

Hatpin Holder

Q: I’m an avid collector of hatpins and hatpin holders. I haven’t been able to identify the maker or date of this hatpin holder. It has this mark on the bottom and has 13 holes in the top. I would appreciate any help.

A: Hatpin holders were popular from 1860 to 1920, when hatpins were fashionable. The large, heavy hats of that era needed long hatpins to hold them in place. Hatpin holders were made of ceramics, glass, or metal. Most have six or eight holes. Holders with more holes were usually for men’s tie pins, but the decoration on your holder is too feminine for a man. Holders with saucers, like yours, were made later than those without saucers. The saucer probably held the “nibs” that covered the end of the pins. Longer hatpins, popular from 1890 to 1914, protruded from hats and were considered “dangerous” in crowded places, so laws were passed in some areas limiting the length of hatpins or requiring that the sharp ends be covered. A woman protesting the law said she removed her hatpin when leaving the street car alone in the evening and held it as a weapon to protect herself. Hatpin holders have been reproduced and fantasy holders have been made. The mark on your hatpin holder is not clear, but it looks like a mark used on fantasy hatpin holders made in Taiwan since the 1980s.