Author, David Issitt examining a Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase

When one thinks of a 'Pulpit,' ones mind more than likely thinks of a church or chapel, and that of a preacher giving his weekly sermon to the gathered congregation. So when one thinks of a 'Jack-in-the-Pulpit' what does one's mind conjure up? Maybe the American Wild Flower or someone called Jack preaching from that 'Pulpit', on a Sunday morning. But, to ‘glass lovers' world wide the name 'Jack-in-the-Pulpit' has become synonymous with a glass vase styled to imitate that wonderful wild flower. If we look at the actual plant that is very common in certain areas of the United States, we see the back part of the trumpet duly stands upright but then it comes forward as if a canopy to shield the 'Spathe' or 'Jack.' One can also liken this to a Pulpit in a church, which has a canopy to assist in the acoustics when a sermon is being preached.

The name in itself was given to the style of vase thought originally to have been created by Louis C. Tiffany around the turn of the century, but we have to look back even further to find the true origin of this shape of vase.

Some ten to twelve years ago I was fascinated by a vase in this style and shape and found it so attractive, my late mother seeing my fascination bought it for me as a birthday present. If only she was still alive to see where her buying me a vase had led! The workmanship that our forefathers or even their ancestors put into producing such an item was bewildering to me.  This gift started my long quest to find out about these vases and so my research program commenced.

I have said that Tiffany created the style, well that is now known to be incorrect, as the archive pattern books of Stevens & Williams reveal a Jack-in-the-Pulpit styled vase is shown as being made in 1854. So Tiffany whilst taking the credit for creating the style was wrong, he may of named the style, but evidence has now proved he was not the first to make the style.

I spent many hours with Sam Thompson, the curator of the Private Museum of Stevens and Williams, checking all their historic books. The archive pattern books along with various examples of the fine work of Stevens & Williams are housed in the house which was originally built for Northwood II when he joined them at the end of the nineteenth century.   Before taking time to examine all the pattern books a conducted private tour was given showing how some processes have changed very little from the early days. The production being made on this visit was of tumblers and the basic process was exactly as it had been some 80 years ago. The only difference of note being that such commodities as Uranium were no longer permitted to be used by law and all glass was sprayed to achieve the iridescent finishes.

The line drawings in the pattern books, themselves were wonderfully done and show expertise by the artist who in many cases was the gaffer or top glassblower. Sam himself was an apprentice to John Northwood II and his main contribution to Stevens and Williams was designing and making Cameo Vases. One, which he made, is on display in the Museum, with other fine examples of his work at the Broadfield House Glass Museum at Kingswinford, West Midlands. This small cameo vase which was attributed to Sam Thompson took about ten weeks to make from start to finish.

This vase that we discovered in the archive pattern book dated 1854, for Stevens & Williams, I believe, now to be the first example of the style now known as 'Jack-in-the-Pulpit.'  From that date we found various styles that all had the basic common theme of a vase with an upturned back and a turned down front, some even had pinched in sides and/or pulled in backs. However, we have never found to this day, any earlier dates for the style being produced in either England or America, although continued research may prove this incorrect.

From Stevens and Williams, my research took me to find the old pattern books of other major English 19th Century Glassmakers. My list was pretty comprehensive with the likes of Thomas Webb & Sons, Richardsons, Webb-Corbett, Stuart, Powell and many smaller British Companies. Some of the vases have rounded backs and pointed fronts, others have crimped edges to the trumpet and the earliest ones all seem to have the back pulled in as per the 1854 style found in the Stevens and Williams pattern book for that year.

A meeting also held around this time with Roger Dodsworth confirmed that some pattern books had been lost over the years but one or two were kept at the Broadfield House Glass Museum, namely Richardsons who operated out of the Wordsley Flint Glass Works at Stourbridge. The first evidence of a Richardson, Jack-in-the-Pulpit was found against reference number 9165 for the year 1876. This showed a vase with both a rounded front and rear to the trumpet as well as having both the front turned down and the back flipped up. The height was given as 6 inches.

From looking at all the readily available pattern books of Stevens and Williams and also Richardson’s, I needed to expand my research. It was at this time that I requested information from other collectors via a small article in the Glass Association newsletter. I was surprised to find that although many people were very interested in what I could find out about the early life of this style of vase, no-one seemed to have many within their own glass collections.

My next task was to try and find what other books were readily available for me to look at. I wrote numerous letters and the first reply I received was from Christine Golledge curator and historian of Royal Stuart Crystal.

I was surprised that such a company may be able to help, as their production these days is all lead cut crystal. I was permitted to view pattern books dating back to the last century of items made by Pargeter and Watson who operated from the Red House Glass Cone, the site now occupied by Stuart. Whilst mentioning the Red House Glass Cone, it is one of only three surviving cones now in the UK. But perseverance paid off to find hidden in the corner of one page a vase numbered 4183. Yes another fine example with rounded front and pointed rear to the trumpet with applied chain work to the stem. When we come to look at manufacturers, we also are able to gain some insight as to which style each glassmaker preferred. Records indicate that Philip Pargeter whilst working at the Red House Cone, Amblecote made this particular style with a round back rim with a point and a turned down front rim with a crinkle effect. Mostly the earlier styles were made in Vaseline or Opalescent in conjunction with Straw Cranberry or in Vaseline.

The natural Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a poisonous plant and that alone apart from the fact one is animal and vegetable whereas the other is wood or metal is the only difference. The fact that we find such vases dating back to 1854 in the archive pattern books of Stevens & Williams clearly indicates that the idea of such a style could well have been taken from the common wild flower similar to a Jack-in-the-Pulpit, which is found in the British Isles and commonly called 'Lords and Ladies'. Again this style of vase had been produced for more than 50 years within the glass making areas of England, a good forty years before any of those produced by Louis C. Tiffany.

So we now know how the style got its name although one might say that the Tiffany style of Jack-in-the-pulpit has no resemblance to the actual woodland wild flower.

According to all the record pattern books for most English Glassmakers showed this style of vase being mostly made through from about 1880 to 1905, which was around the time that Tiffany was producing his versions of the style. At this point one can find no previous American Glassmaker making this style subsequent to Tiffany. We know of the likes of Nash, Northwood and Carder all starting up in the States and it is very evident that the design produced by both Tiffany and Steuben was gained from their knowledge of the style they had left behind in England.

I feel this is a good point to mention that inevitably English Glassmakers at the turn of the century never named pieces or styles they were usually just given a pattern number, together with their size. This is so very evident when one looks at the archive record books held at Brierley Hill, which show all manners of glass items made by Stevens & Williams. The drawings of all items in these pattern books are pencil drawings of the highest quality and not only does it show the piece but it very often gives the details of the batch make up which was used in the production of any one style. From other pattern books all dating from around this era, I have seen many more examples of this style of vase, made by many English companies, which no longer exist. Names like Haden, Mullett and Haden - Smart Brothers - John Walsh - Stourbridge Glass Company all produced varieties of this style and now none of these companies exist today, nor do most collectors know of them. So one can confidently say that the smaller firms were also competing with the big boys of their day. My final quest then took me to the Dudley Library Archives in Cosely, where the only records of Thomas Webb & Sons are kept under strict conditions due to their condition. The pattern books of Thomas Webb & Sons were not in the best of condition as stated and each volume had to be handled with gloves to prevent any further deterioration. Many of the books showed signs of water damage and the full set was not all there. It is believed some may have been destroyed in a fire, hence why others have what appears to be water damage. But, from those examined we saw what creators those early glassblowers were and I sincerely trust that if they are cared for as they are currently, they will remain a pleasure for other glass enthusiasts to look at.

Some of the patterns found during my research of all the archive books mentioned have now enabled me to identify some that are within my own collection. An interesting fact I discovered when looking through the archive pattern books of Stevens & Williams with Sam Thompson, was that they stated against each drawing the ingredients of the batch and the selling price for such an article. Even with inflation in 1854 the vase I found only cost a mere few pence.

And so, inspiration of our forefathers and our forefathers’ fathers have given something of beauty for all to enjoy and marvel at. The Art of the Glassmaker is tested to his highest degree in producing this style of vase in glass. Carl Radke of Phoenix Studios in Harmony, California commented that when he blows this style of vase the rejection rate is far higher than that of any other form. He went on to say, 'Jack~in~the~Pulpit vases are extremely hard to make.' Bearing this in mind he has created special tooling to accomplish making them. 'Making a Jack iridescent, is ten fold more difficult!' Carl became intrigued with the technical difficulty of making Jacks, hundreds of them make it no further than the floor, hundreds more sold off as seconds, even today his success rate is only about 80%. It is people like Carl who is reviving the art of our ancestors and may they continue to do so for many years to come.

Many glassmakers in the US have also made this style in varying styles and perhaps the most notable apart from Tiffany and Steuben must be those made by Fenton Art-glass. Frank Fenton has been very helpful in researching these vases and it was Fenton who initially called them 'Tulip' vases in their earlier catalogues. Now they are both referred to as either 'Jack~in~the~Pulpit' or 'Tulip' vases.  Fenton archive records show many fine examples of this style being made throughout their history and some lines are still in current production now.

Here in the UK the art of making this style has not gone, with Okra Glass of Dudley making some fine examples in varying iridescent finishes. The main problem these days confronting the Glassmaker is that they are forced by law not to use ingredients that were used in the latter part of the last century and the beginning of this one.

In my own collection I have so many styles both old and new, free blown, blown moulded and pressed versions. It is not only glassmakers of England and America that have continued to produce this style of vase, but also the likes of ‘Murano’. The style and workmanship that goes into these vases must have impressed even the Italians and hence they took up the challenge and started to produce them in the heavy glass we have come to know as ‘Murano’.  Likewise we see current vases being made in Czechoslovakia and I am sure it will not be long before the Far Eastern countries follow suit.

Many of the English Glassmakers of the last century all made interpretations on a theme where Jack~in~the~Pulpit vases were concerned. This may have been to add crystal collars or chainwork to the stem and in some cases we know of examples where the stem was twisted. At this stage of my research I believe such a style with a twisted stem is more than likely that of Thomas Webb & Sons. However, I cannot be 100 % certain of this fact at this time and there are others who believe this particular styling was adopted by Scottish Glassmakers when making this style of vase. Most of the Jacks that have a twist in the stem as the above also have applied petal feet, which would support the claim they were all made by the same Glasshouse. As we search deeper into the archives hopefully we will see the pattern drawing for such styling that will then hopefully give us further information appertaining to the different colours the style was made in.

So far during my stay in the US, I have been privileged to see some very fine examples of this style of vase. One, which comes to mind, is one I purchased at Adamstown Pennsylvania, approximately 4 weeks ago. When I met Stan Eveson, one quiet spring day, the former Production Director for Thomas Webb and Sons many titbits were gained. He mentioned once when he was new to the company, of going into a storage area, finding a room full of Jack-in-the-Pulpits of sizes ranging from 12 inches to as big as 60 inches. He continued to say these were made in the varying sizes in Ruby Gold, plain crystal and a light crystal green.  I would hasten to add that ‘Ruby Gold’ was the name by which ‘Cranberry’ glass was called by English Glassmakers at the turn of the century. The vases had a ‘Wrythen’ effect to the trumpets, which were of a rounded nature with tipped up back and a fold down front. He also said that the larger ones were known as floor standing Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase for dried flower arranging such as dried pampas grass.  So when lurking in the back of a cabinet at one of the antiques centres at Adamstown, I discovered what I immediately knew to be one of these taller Jack-in-the-Pulpits made by Thomas Webb. Expecting to find a Webb piece is most people’s dream, but to find one sets the pulse racing. Knowing it to have been made by Thomas Webb & Sons, I imagined the price would reflect that, but I came away with it for only 25 pounds or $44, it had to come home with me.

And so my research continues whilst I still research many other aspects of glass and glass related matters, a concise collection of many of my articles which have been published can be found at my Website: - http://www.david-issitt.1Hwy.com

So far in this article I have discussed where and when such a style of vase was made, but the burning question often asked is; 'How old is my Jack-in-the-Pulpit'? Or 'How can I say who made my Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase'? Two questions which have many answers. Firstly let me say that most respected dealers in any type glass will always say that to feel a piece very often gives them a taste for when the piece was made. Secondly to that I would add that a thorough research of a piece should be undertaken. With the world at ones fingertips through the Internet this is a task made so much easier. The Internet was not as widespread those years ago when I first started researching this style of vase, so I had to look towards finding information from those within the glass making industry.

So basically here are some ways to try and determine if your Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase is old or new.

•       Take hold of the vase and check it with your hands, feeling for blemishes and if it has a rough or polished pontil mark. Most current glassmakers always polish the pontil but again having said that so did one or two of the major Victorian glassmakers.

•       Remember many old pieces of glass were never marked with a makers trademark, so any that are marked with the makers trademark are more likely to be new as opposed to old. However having said that we do know that the prolific makers such as Tiffany did mark their pieces and yes many of theirs come from the period of 1910 to 1928.

•       Older pieces will show wear on the base, so check out for wear. The more wear the older the item.

•       The bases of such vases can also give an indication to age for certain styles were adopted at specific times during the era of glassmaking.

•       Find people that have worked in the glass industry and ask for their opinion.

•       Ask renowned dealers of glass.

•       Look at old record books of glassmakers to see if they ever produced this style.

•       Check out all books that appertain to glass and use as a reference point for furthering your research.

•       Write to glass companies asking them if they have ever made such a style of vase and if they can furnish you with details. It may not be that they made the one you have but it is another avenue to approach in your research quest.

•       Check out old sales catalogues.

Then there is the other way to determine the age of your Jack-in-the-Pulpit! Yes by now I am sure you have guessed ask someone who has already done so much research on the matter of who made what and when! Because of so many modern day glassmakers still producing this style of vase the likelihood is such modern ones are more easily found. To give appraisals from photographs can only be made if the specific item has been documented somewhere. To touch and feel a piece will say so much more than a photograph can. One thing any person researching items will tell you is never take for granted everything you are told! Unless one can be 100 per cent in identifying a piece from a thorough research never, never say a particular maker makes it. Always where there is any doubt no matter how small always refer to the item as being in the style of.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a special word of ****** to those who have put up with my determination to get to the bottom of when and where these magnificent vases were first produced.