Carnival glass is press-moulded iridised glass. That is, glass which has been created using a mould, and has had a coating of liquid metallic salts applied after it has been taken from the mould to give the surface an iridescent lustre.

Glass with an iridescent finish was known in Roman times, but this finish was not used again until the famous hand crafted glass of Louis Tiffany appeared in the late 1800s. The glass that we now call carnival glass was not originally known this way, but was instead referred to by a number of names including iridescent glass, poor man's Tiffany, Imperial Jewels, Imperial Art Glass, taffeta, lustre glass, Aurora and even rhodium ware to name just a few. These names were meant to describe the silken sheen like iridescent glass that came in colours like marigold (orange), green, blue, amethyst (plum), white and red which helped to brighten up the dark heavy furnishings of the Edwardian period. Carnival glass was intended to provide the same effect as the more expensive Tiffany glass, but at a price much more affordable to the average person.

The American company, Fenton Art Glass Co, was founded in 1905 by Frank and John Fenton, and is credited with being the first producer of press-moulded iridised glassware, now called carnival glass. Thus the home of carnival glass was the USA, but it was also produced in England, Europe, Central and South America, India, China and Australia. To find out more about Australian carnival glass, please click here.

The bulk of American carnival glass was produced by four companies:

Northwood Glass Company, of Wheeling, West Virgina, from 1908 to 1921;

Imperial Glass Company, of Bellaire, Ohio, from 1908 to 1973;

Fenton Art Glass Company, of Williamstown, West Virgina, from 1907 to the present day; and

Millersburg Glass Company, of Millersburg, Ohio, from 1909-1911.

The next biggest produced of American carnival glass was the Dugan Company of Indiana, Pennsylvania, which became the Diamond Glass Co in 1913. Some of the other companies who produced small amounts of iridised glass were:

Cambridge Glass Company, of Cambridge, Ohio;

Jenkins Glass Company, of Kokomo, Indiana;

Westmoreland Glass Company, of Grapeville, Pennsylvania;

Fostoria Glass Company, of Fostoria, Ohio;

Federal Glass Company;

Heisey Glass Company, of Newark, Ohio;

Anchor-Hocking Glass Company, Lancaster, Ohio;

Jeanette-McKee Glass Company, of Jeanette, Pennsylvania;

US Glass Company, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; and

Indiana Glass Company, of Dunkirk, Indiana.

Carnival glass was made in virtually every shape you can imagine in household items. It appeared as creamers, sugars, butter dishes, pitchers, tumblers, plates and bowls of various sizes, bon bons, punch sets, vases, compotes, decanters, wine glasses, powder bowls, money banks, bottles, baskets, dresser sets, and even spittoons. There are many other shapes too numerous to list here.

Colours also varied. The first color carnival glass was made in was marigold - this is an orange coloured iridescence over clear glass. But many other colours of base glass were used as well, including amethyst (plum coloured), purple, blue, green, red and white, with many variations and shadings of each of these, and different coloured iridescence.

Towards the end of the early carnival glass era, the Imperial Glass Company began to produce stretch finish iridescent glass in pale pastel colours. This was a cross between the Tiffany iridescent glass and Steuben clean cut colours. These press-moulded glass items were elegantly plain with a subtle pattern. The Northwood Glass Company, and Fenton Art Glass Company, also made stretch glass with all three factories producing crepe or cracked effect glass.

Defining the periods of carnival glass manufacture is somewhat controversial, as there are a number of methods used. Most collectors consider the 'prime' or 'classical' carnival glass era to stretch from 1907 to 1929. The period from 1930 to 1939 is usually called the 'depression era', the period 1940 to 1959 is often considered to be the 'late' carnival glass era, while carnival glass made from 1960 to the present is mostly referred to as 'contemporary' carnival glass.

During the 'prime' carnival glass era, the glass was referred to by the various names outlined at the beginning of this page. It was sold as a cheaper alternative to Tiffany glass through stores such as Woolworths in the USA, with prices usually less than $1. By 1930 the initial popularity of the glass ware had started to fade, and so businesses started to offer the glassware as bonuses for purchasing other items, eg, one sugar bowl with every 24 pound bag of flour, and so forth. It also appeared as prizes in carnival side shows, and thus the name 'carnival glass' emerged, and stuck.

Of all the companies that originally made carnival glass, worldwide, only one remains. The Fenton Art Glass Company continues to produce carnival glass to his day, although the prices are somewhat higher than their original products.

Descendants of the late Harry Northwood resurrected the Northwood Art Glass Company in 1998, and they produced a beautiful range of Carnival Glass which you can see pictured on the Contemporary Carnival Glass 2 page of our Gallery. Alas, their venture did not last long, but no doubt their glass will be coming back on to the market again as current owners decide to sell their pieces. These will no doubt become very collectible in years to come.

If you would like to see some photos of carnival class please visit our Gallery pages.

Current values of carnival glass vary dramatically depending on the maker, the pattern, the colour, when it was produced, what condition it is in, and which market it is being sold in. The reference books listed on our Library page will provide you with many of the answers you may need regarding a piece of carnival glass you might have. However, the best way to learn about carnival glass is to handle the glass yourself, and talk to other collectors. Therefore we strongly recommend you join your local carnival glass club. If you live in Australia, we invite you to join our club, particularly if you live in NSW, ACT or Queensland. If you are interested in joining our club, please go to the How to Join page. If you live in another Australian State, or do not live in Australia, please check the Club Directory page to see if there is a club near you. If there is not a club near you, please contact us and we will be happy to help you if we can.