Jersey Rose Paperweights From Millville
| All the Millville rose weights have a footed base which is large and firm and well proportioned to the ball, and the ball rests in a cup-shaped socket on either a single or double base. The pink rose with leaves and bud shown on the left is on a double standard. This weight was made by Ralph Barber as a gift to his superintendent, Mr. Franklin Pierce, and it is one of the choicest and most unusual of the Barber weights.
In another example of the Jersey rose, the flower rests on the bottom and the weight has a thin, frosted base. It should be pointed out, however, that this is distinctly not true to the form of the earlier weights. |
Another specimen has a deep pink rose with opalescent tips and dark green leaves. A stamen has the same color as the petals. A similar construction is found in a yellow rose which appeared about the same time. An old workman of the factory who was familiar with a wide range of the subjects said that he had never seen such a rose. He remarked, at the sdame time, that almost anything might turn up, since many items were never repeated and some of the crimps were experiments. It hould be explained perhaps that the crimps were iron molds for making the rose. The white rose was the result of trying out a new crimp, and the opalescent glass used in the flower was made in the Milville factory. No leaves were ever added to it, however, because that would have required the use of expensive colored glass which was bought elsewhere. The weight was evidently an experiment and expenses were being held down.
