Millville, New Jersey, Paperweights
One of the most famous and most desirable of all the American antique paperweights is the Jersey rose, which was the product of the Whitall, Tatum Company at Millville, New Jersey. This company established its factory at Milville in 1849 on the site of an old factory that had passed out of existance.
Below are links to the few Millville paperweight auctions currently active on Ebay. Clicking one of the links will open a new window at Ebay which shows all the details. If you buy something I will get a small commission. Text continues after the links.
Below are links to the few Millville paperweight auctions currently active on Ebay. Clicking one of the links will open a new window at Ebay which shows all the details. If you buy something I will get a small commission. Text continues after the links.
At Millville, Ralph Barber, Michael Kane, Marcus Kuntz, John Rhulander, and Emil Stanger all made paperweights, but it was really Ralph Barber whose workmanship brought this subject to the point of highest beauty and distinction. It is said that Barber learned the art of making paperweights from a workman in the Sandwich factory, who made a crude rose weight without leaves and and without a foot. It took Barber six years to bring the weight to its final perfection. Innumerable obstacles were encountered before the Jersey rose became a success at the hands of Barber. His brother George, who worked at the Liby G;lass Works in Ohio sent him ruby glass from there; but this, like many other samples obtained elsewhere, had expansion characteristics which were not suited to the body, and there were endless difficulties with cracking. The crack which caused the trouble appeared on the inside of the weight around the rose; it never extended to the surface. A glass was finally found at the E. P. Gleason factory in Broookyln, New York, which had a lime base and the same coefficiency of expansion as the Millville crystal, and with this discovery the the Jersey rose finally became a success.
| In the Barber roses, which have opalescent tips, the petals are never compact, but have a free and open appearance. Both the blossom and the leaves are in suspension slightly above the base. The Jersey roses, aside from the rare yellow specimens, are considered finest and most rare when the flower is accompanied by a bud and a real rose shaped leaf.
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| The Mil1ville factory, of course, used a great many subjects other than the Jersey rose. Paperweights began to be made there about 1860. Early Milville weights such as Devil's Fire, Fountain, Remember Me (Illustration), and a lily were not impressive. With the establishment of the wooden mold department in 1863, however, the weights began to stand out as both unusual and attractive.
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To return to the subject of the Jersey rose, it should be said that this subject was also dealt with in an interesting manner by all the workmen whose names are mentioned. In contrast with the weights attributed to Barber, there Jersey roses with the petals tapering to a point at the base. These and others showing variation from the typical Barber treatment were probably made by other workmen or by the use of a new hand forged iron crimp. Many of the roses made by Emil Stanger have petals which are quite pointed at the tips.
