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Davidson, Gateshead
The George Davidson glasshouse was founded in 1867. Initially the glass works manufactured glass chimneys to go in paraffin lamps which were in great shortage because they were previously made on the Continent. With the emergence of pressed glass manufacturing techniques, they soon started making domestic items such as pots, plates, jugs and biscuit barrels. During the middle of the 1800s George Davidson had established a bartering system with his brother Joseph who was based in Australia. In return for glass, George was sent butter, wheat, tallow, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Which explains why there are so many collectors of Davidson glass in Australia! A portrait of George Davidson by Henry Hetherington Emmerson can be found here at the Tyne and Wear Museum website. The registration mark of a demi rampant lion rising out of a mural crown was used between 1880-1891, and was stopped when George Davidson died. Surprisingly enough, unlike the other manufacturers, Davidson did not register this trademark with the authorities, but did so later ones such as Chippendale. Between January 1880 and May 1881 production stopped completely because a fire destroyed part of the warehouses and the processing departments, leaving over 300 out of work. They soon made up for lost time and became a very real competitor to both Sowerby and Greener. In 1884, they announced with an advert in the Pottery Gazette that they had new showrooms and had expanded their range of moulds and patterns by purchasing them from companies that had gone out of business, such as the Neville Glass works in 1881, Thomas Grey and Co. and also from Heppell and Co. in 1884. In 1885, they introduced their famous hobnail range which comprised of over fifteen different items, including comports, celeries, sweets, salts, sugar basins, butters, cream jugs and a very fine cheese dome.
All of the above are a part of the 1885 Hobnail suite with lion registration marks. Click here to see the designs for the hobnail suite Also in 1885, Davidson ran an advert of covered sugars/butter dishes in the Silver and Fleming Catalogue, included the Punch example below Click here to see a copy of the catalogue
Punch Butter Dish c.1885 In 1886 Davidson produced his first suite of domestic tableware including celeries, lidded butter dishes and candlesticks. The celery vases had a dual purpose and could be turned upside down in conjunction with a large plates to form a large centre piece. In 1887, they won a gold medal in the Newcastle Exhibition and produced a series of articles for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and again in 1888 to commemorate the Silver wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales. From 1889, the firm produced at least one suite of tableware complete with advertisements in the Pottery Gazette. Patented Pearline 1889 saw the emergence of the groundbreaking Pearline suite (No. 96945). The first colour was a turquoise blue, followed by a primrose yellow and finally an opal moonshine colour which was been copied by other factories like Molineaux and Webb. What was different about this new range was the milky white edges created with a new technique that Davidson patented. This effect happened when the parts that were to change colour were exposed to heat during the cooling process due to chemicals, such as arsenic, mixed into the glass. Most of these designs had a registration number, although some of the earlier items simply had 'Patent' on them. There are some Pearline designs that don't have a registration number on them which were marketed as 'novelty pieces' and some weren't even advertised. These are often small fluted spills and salts. They continued to introduce a new suite of designs made in Pearline almost every year until 1903. Despite the patent on the Pearline glass, many manufacturers wanted to copy this new technique and both Greener, Burtles and Tate and Co. and Molineaux and Webb brought out their own Opalescent versions. Sheilagh Murray in her book The Peacock and the Lions tells a very interesting story regarding the crescent shaped boats in the photo below. These moulds had been ordered from Germany, but the ship had been wrecked on the Black Midden rocks at the mouth of the Tyne. Four years later some of the moulds were recovered, but had become so corroded that bases were made in England. You can see the differences in workmanship in the piece where the sides of the glass are German in a bold fashion, whereas the bases are far more detailed with the traditional star design.
Turquoise Pearline Lidded Sugar Bowl, Jug, Bowl and Basket all with registration numbers 130643 - 13 August 1889. Pearline Banana Boats with registration numbers 212684 - 25 May 1893 In 1890, ten years after the fire that could have destroyed the company, they had 350 employees and an output of 200-250 tons of finished glass a month.
George Davidson died on his way to church on 22 February 1891, and Thomas Davidson took over. He was a well respected owner and designed 90% of the products up until his death in 1937. In The Peacock and the Lions, a former mould maker talked about how Davidson would not pay the workers if items were of a poor condition (like that of Greener) and he would say "I'll give it to you to sell and see how you do" to the worker. Thomas Davidson was very hands on and even helped design the layout of the glass works, something that was almost unheard of. Lattimore in his book English 19th Century Press-Moulded Glass describes how Davidson arranged the packing room so that large boxes on the shelves could be treated as drawers which would house different types and coloured glass that could be easily accessed. Davidson also made sure that the works were kept cool by using a steam engine pumping out cold air. In the 1880's Davidson glassworks expanded dramatically, so much so that they ended up making their own pots which the glass was melted in because their supplier couldn't satisfy their demands! In 1896 they embarked on a profitable relationship with Holophane which lasted for 60 years making prismatic illuminating glassware, with the first designs registered on 26 July 1896. This relationship lasted well into the twentieth century and Davidson even produced the glass used for the lighting of Westminster Abbey for Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953 and the House of Lords in the 1950's. Along with the other manufacturers, they also made commemorative ware. However Davidson also made items for the foreign market, including amber and flint tumblers with the face of Tsar Nicholas II on them. Naturally production of this stopped after the Russian Revolution when the Royal family were slaughtered. In 1910, Davdison patented another of the company's most successful items - the flower block. This new way to hold flowers in an uniformed arrangement was soon used in all of their flower bowls and vases and produced in a variety of shapes, colours and sizes. Nowadays you can frequently see these in car boot sales and charity shops. I have even seen one described as a pen holder on eBay! As with all of the glass manufacturers, domestic production had slowed down throughout World War One. Many of their suppliers of raw materials were based in mainland Europe which meant that they had an erratic supply. The workforce was also stretched because many of the men and boys went to fight in the war. Instead of domestic items Davidson made glass jars for potted meat, pavement lights, insulators for the field telephones, inkpots and tumblers for the military; all of which kept the company afloat throughout this difficult time. After the war had finished, demand quickly picked up and by 1920 they had made a new range of domestic items including the very popular dressing table sets, smoking companions including ashtrays, cigarette boxes. Between 1920 to 1922, they made these new products in clear flint glass because there was still a shortage in the raw materials to make coloured glass. The first coloured items produced were amber piano feet (used to insulate the noise made by the piano) in November 1922, soon followed by green and blue flower bowls. In 1923 they launched their matt acid etched range in green, blue, amber, flint and purple. They also used black glass for plinths for the flower bowls, vases and domes and did not make other items in this colour until 1938. A Jade range made an appearance between 1931 and 1934, however a consistent colour was very difficult to create because after 5 to 6 hours the colour batch would begin to spoil and they were unable to obtain a consistently even colour, so production was stopped. A royal blue was also made between 3 January 1936 and September 1936, but it was also short-lived because it cost more than their other colours to make. They briefly produced a peach colour in 1937, but this only lasted for 3 months. From 1922 the number of female employees was doubled and it is said that Thomas Davidson liked to hear his woman employees sing while they work! By 1933 it became a private limited company. This square Tutankhamun bulb bowl was made between 1922 and 1923 to commemorate the discovery of Tutenkahmun's tomb. During this time Egypt and Egyptology was a very fashionable subject, especially on the continent where many of these bowls were commissioned. It was only made in this matt black and (for the first time) jade and is now a very sought after item.
Chippendale and Jacobean Glass Chippendale glass was first produced in 1930 and continued until 1970. Initially, it had been patented in the US in 1907 and was imported into the UK by Charles Pratt's National Glass Company. Pratt purchased the moulds using Davidson as one of the manufacturers in the 1930's. Realising the popularity of the product Davidson bought the sole manufacturing rights in 1933 and in 1935 adding amber and green colours to the range. This must have cost the company a small fortune given that the moulds alone cost £3000. In 1932 Davidson became the sole producer of Jacobean glass for Clayton Meyers. Like the Chippendale range, the Jacobean collection was also incredibly popular. Originally Clayton Meyers had Josef Inswald AG in Czechoslovakia make the glass which was then shipped to the UK. However in 1931 it was getting too expensive to do this and so Clayton Meyers approached Davidson whose reputation was producing high quality glass at an affordable price. They made it in a variety of colours including flint, amber, blue, rose and an emerald green. The popular Jacobean design of bevelled squares and is often still seen in restaurants and pubs around the UK. Again this design was produced by Davidson as well as other firms. In 1934, Queen Mary obtained Chippendale dishes from Davidson's trade stand at the British Industries Fair. I was surprised to find an article on Jacobean glass in a Girls Own Annual - a copy of which will be uploaded very soon. Unlike Bagley, Jobling and Sowerby, Davidson only made a few products that were influenced by the Art Deco movement. Instead they seemed to base many of their designs on their popular Chippendale range. Cloud Glass Cloud Glass started production in 1923 was very a very important Davidson range, but it was relatively short lived and was not made after the second world war. It was created by adding trails of semi-molten glass to a gather of lighter coloured semi-molten glass that was last laid into the mould. Different colours were added throughout the years, purple was introduced in 1923, blue in 1925, amber in 1929, green in 1934 and the rare red orange in 1929 and orange in 1934. Queen Mary liked the blue cloud glass, especially if it had a satin finish like the one below. They achieved this finish by mixing flour with sulphuric acid, making a paste and simply applying it to the glass.
More information about cloud glass can be found at the wonderful www.cloudglass.com Thomas Davidson died in 1937 and Claude Fraser took over. In February 1938, he employed their first designer - W.J.G. Fullerton. Fullerton's was most famous for designing the fan vase, the chevron vase and the ripple pattern (similar to a range made by Whitefriars). However as a result of World War Two, the decline in the domestic market and lack of raw materials Claude was asked to find employment elsewhere. Throughout this time 40% of Davidson's production was for other companies, for example the Jacobean range for Clayton Meyers or the industrial glassware for Holophane. They also made glass for Cadbury's, John Smith's Tadcaster Ales and a continuing relationship with Sainsburys which had started back in 1891. World War Two World War Two had a much greater impact on Davidson than the First World War, they were constrained by expensive raw materials and unable to export the glass that they had made. Like all factories, most of the male workforce went off to fight and for the existing workforce they had to make war-time provisions, such as making air raid shelters, which cost more money. Thankfully, as with many of the other glass manufacturers, they produced glass for the war effort such as glass for radar screens, tanks and ships' wirelesses and aerodrome runway landing lights, which kept them afloat. In 1942, the Government passed The Utility Glassware Order banning them from making domestic products other than tumblers, jugs and cruets, however they were able to release a lot of their old stock to satisfy the small demand. The factory survived the war, unlike their showroom in London which was destroyed by the bombing. After World War Two For Davidson and the other glass manufacturers, the market after the war was a nightmare. There were shortages of manpower and raw material, with Government regulations at home and import restrictions abroad making it impossible to to make, or export glassware despite the large demand. As a result they started to make designs that were pre war successes including the Ripple pattern, fruit sets, hobnail items and the Chippendale range. But they were even restricted in what colours they were able to produce and were only able to make amber and emerald green in 1949. Thankfully things picked up when the Control of Manufacture and Supply Order was revoked in 1953. In 1954, they introduced a black range, similar to Bagley's Jettique, which had floral transfers fired onto them. By this time they reduced the Chippendale suite to 53 styles and only in flint. They also reintroduced amber cloud glass and a new colour called lovat blue. In 1959, Claude Fraser died, and the direction of the company changed completely. The company was bought by M PocockHill (formerly of Nazeing) and JME Howarth (formerly Matthew Turnbull). Under the guidance of the new management, they started to sell ugly blown Murano- style multicoloured fish and fish floats which were actually made at Nazeing glass works. In 1964, purple and white slag glass was reintroduced to a mixed reception and remarketing it as 'marble glass'. Yet again, they reproduced old designs under name of their 'Victoriana' range, but also re-used their old favourites including the Fan Vase. Throughout the latter years, Davidson produced many plain bowls and vases with organic fluid edges. Unfortunately it is difficult to tell which are their designs because not only did they use paper labels which of course were washed off, but also many other manufacturers also made very similar items including Sowerby and Whitefriars. Davidson was taken over in 1966 by Abrahams who were an electroplating firm that bought Davidson glass, to accompany their chrome fittings creating, tiered cake plates and other such items. The work force was dramatically cut, especially in the finishing departments and modern manufacturing methods were implemented. Abrahams increased the amount of glass that was exported, but suffered from the high price and erratic availability of fuel in the 1970's. G. C. Merryweather introduced the Luna Crystal Style in 1971, which was similar to the bark range by Whitefriars. They also briefly made a nod to their past and made a commemorative place in 1977 for the Silver Jubilee (using the same mould for their previous commemorative ranges!). After changing their name to Brama Davidson Sales Ltd the glass works was closed in 1987 and later that year demolished. Finally in 1992, the company was dissolved.
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FAQ -What
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In 1891, they produced glass
bowls for J Sainsbury in their button and daisy pattern for the 'Pure Dairy Butter complete with the registered
design number 176566 15 August 1891.
