One of the joys we have had collecting Victorian era Salt Shakers, is learning more about who made them, when were they made and something about the maker. In a way it is a study of history; that dreaded course we did not like in school, which is now so interesting.

One of the ways we have tried to determine the maker is by comparison of like decorations. While we recognize that this is not a positive identification approach, it does provide reasonable probability. The decorators could copy others as well as move their talents from one company to another.

In this article, we discuss three shakers, all with different names, all attributed to the Mt Washington Glass Company. These three shakers are all the same mold, i.e. the same basic shaker. We have been unable to positively trace them to Mt Washington - perhaps you know the positive link.

The Lechners illustrated a shaker in their first book and named it "Floral Spray". An unfortunate name as it was another case where an author named the shaker based upon the decoration only to find later that the same shaker existed with totally different decor. This shaker was also shown in their Book II, p141.

They attribute it to the Mt Washington Glass Co. based upon seeing one made in Burmese glass.

This same shaker is also known with the "Brownie" decoration. (see Book II, p136). The Lechners named it "Egg, Palmer Cox Brownie". One should note that the shape is close to an egg shape but it is not and will not accept an egg top.

This same shaker is also known with a Delft decoration. I don't believe it is illustrated in any of the Lechner books.

Again, the Lechners attribute Floral Spray to the Mt Washington Glass Company based upon seeing a Burmese one. The Delft decorated shakers are typically attributed to the Mt Washington Glass Company as they were known to decorate with Delft designs. The Palmer Cox decorated shakers are typically attributed to the Mt Washington Glass Company as they were known to decorate with the Brownies.

The following pages show some interesting examples of these shakers. While we believe that the Mt Washington attribution is indeed correct, we know of no documentation that supports a Mt Washington attribution. There is sufficient evidence that the following shakers were made by the same maker, so positive proof that any one of them was made by Mt Washington would be exciting to see.

Floral Spray - not an egg but Floral Spray
Pillar, Tall
Little Apple, Footed