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Inside Antiques, by Robert Reed   Inside Antiques: England's Wonderful Webb and Sons Victorian Era Glass   By Robert Reed At the height of the grand Victorian era some of the finest glass in the world was being produced by England's prolific Thomas Webb and Sons.   Theirs was a name synonymous to a range of sensational glassware from Alexandrite to Burmese and from Cameo to Peachblow.   And it didn't stop there. The firm was the source of stunning iridescent glass, satin glass, and a rainbow of other colors and forms.   From relatively humble beginnings as a maker of ladies perfume or scent bottles, the firm became a moving force in bringing the Art Nouveau style to countless homes.   Historic accounts indicated that John Webb had originally been involved in various glass making operations early in the 19th century before establishing a steady business. In the middle of the 1830s that business was passed on to young Thomas Webb. Locations changed but the business flourished over the next few decades.   When Thomas Webb retired in the 1860s the operation came under the direction of two sons, Thomas Wilkes Webb and Charles Webb. A third brother, Walter Webb, also eventually joined the growing venture.   The truly golden era for Webb and Sons and its customers came in the 1880s.   It was a point where their art glass was spectacular. Their Peachblow was shaded from deep red to pink. Their frosted Burmese satin glass was shaded from a pale primrose-yellow to delicate pink.   Graduating the heat during manufacturing created the shading, notes John Sandon author of the book, Antique Glass.   Burmese glass was used to make small posy vases and the shades of glass nightlights in particular, adds Sandon, for when these were lit they gave a gentle rosy glow . . . They also got a nice economic glow as well from their marketing of Burmese glass. The lovely glassware itself had been patented in the United States in 1885 by the Mount Washington Glass Company. It was said that Queen Victoria herself accepted glassware from the American firm in this form and even ordered a Burmese tea set.   Before the American company could fully expand their operation, Webb and Sons obtained a license for a similar Burmese glass product in England. They wisely called it Queen’s Burmese and it was highly successful.   One outstanding quality of Queen’s Burmese was its matt-surface glass shading and its delicate enameled and raised-paste gilt decoration. Most of this artful work was produced under the skillful direction of master decorator Jules Barbe.   Barbe used his talents in adding delicate decorations to Webb and Sons' remarkable cameo glass, the beauty of which was largely credited to brothers Thomas and George Woodall, both highly skilled engravers. The two brought talents to the firm that transformed the pinkish hues of that glass into luscious reds, blues and yellows. Clearly the lavish colours appealed to a vast market of upscale ladies who adored perfume bottles and other glassware treasures.   Much of the Webb and Sons glassware was indeed new art or Art Nouveau in its presentation. The delicately styled natural forms of leaves, vines, and flowers were dazzlingly created time after time at the firm.   Appreciating English cameo glass requires a knowledge of botany and how flowers and leaves hang on a plant, comments David Shotwell in the comprehensive volume Glass A to Z. The skilled workmen made their flowers so real you could almost watch the transparent petals sway in the breeze. .. What the Woodall brothers did for cameo glass at Webb and Sons, engravers Frederick Kny and William Fritsche did for lead crystal at the same firm. Once again the company was able to produce high quality Rock Crystal in equally high numbers.   Their elongated bottle forms, for example, were crafted of colourless crystal then cased in bright colours often layered with yellow over white cameocuts. Then it might be meticulously carved overall in stylized scrolling geometric and floral devices.   Webb and Sons were also noted for a specialized cameo glass known as old ivory.   This unique glass of the late 1880s involved the use of opaque or ivory coloured glass. Crafters then used an engraving wheel to apply a shallow relief design. Afterward, the resulting design was cleaned with a cloth subjected to a liquid stain which produced a unique tint within the design.   The result, according to Ruth Hurst Vose author of the distinguished Collector’s Guide To Antique Glass, was a piece of glass which looked very much like old carved ivory. It was an ivory look, which became extremely popular in the fashionable homes of Europe and North America.   With Webb and Sons one success led to another and the overall operation was both prosperous and prolific. Some 150 full-time workers laboured at a wide variety of items including baskets, beverage sets, biscuit jars, bottles, bowls, brides baskets, centerpieces, cologne bottles, compotes, creamers, cups and saucers, water pitchers, plates, salt dips, flower holders, and master salts, jar covers, rose bowls, vases of various sizes, and even trays.   In all, the amazing firm produced some 25,000 different items much of which was made during that single fascinating decade of the 1880s. On occasion pieces were marked with a full Thomas Webb and Sons impressed on a semi-circular banner, or perhaps with Webb Gem Cameo stamped on the base. A greater portion however, for all of its beauty, was unmarked.   Production at Webb and Sons continued into the 1890s but demand, especially in the highly receptive North American market, gradually ebbed. It wasn't that North Americans adored lovely glass any less, rather it was that it could be purchased elsewhere at less expensive prices.   Cheaper prices, especially for cameo glass, were available because cheaper manufacturing practices were employed by competitors. Thinner glass, stronger chemicals, and less labour-intensive methods all contributed to relatively bargain priced decorative glass by the close of the 19th century.   Webb and Sons continued doing business well into the 20th century. Eventually the Webb family line ended and the operation was acquired by other firms. Its finest quality still survives in limited quantities today and sometimes appears in leading antique shops or major auction houses.   Photo 1 - Webb blue cameo glass, decorative bowl (Skinner, Inc.)   Photo 2 - Gilt enamelled vase by Jules Barbe ca 1888 (Skinner, Inc.)   Photo 3 - Decorative vase in gem cameo glass (Skinner, Inc.)     Robert Reed has written on antiques and collectibles for more than two decades. He has also authored 15 books, including his recently released Antiques and Collectible Dictionary, available from www.collectorbooks.com     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2009 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster