Jenny Lind arrives in America,and appears on many collectable flasks

[Steve/sewell]

In September 1850, P. T. Barnum embarked on a nationwide tour with a Swedish opera singer that would bring him a vast fortune and create a new cultural phenomenon in the United States. Barnum succeeded in building such great public anticipation about the "Swedish Nightingale" that 40,000 people showed up to greet the arrival of her ship in New York harbor. From her opening concert in New York City's Castle Garden to subsequent performances in cities and towns across the country, Barnum fueled public fascination with Lind by orchestrating events and negotiating Lind-endorsed products (including Jenny Lind songs, clothes, chairs, and pianos). "Lindomania" lasted until 1852, when the partnership collapsed over logistical and financial issues. Barnum shrewdly promoted Lind’s character--her modesty, benevolence, and selflessness--as much as her artistry. One scholar contends that because of Barnum’s promotion, Lind became "the standard for measuring not just sopranos, or even women artists, but women" throughout the 1850s. Here is a link to a web site

http://www.foreverswedish.org/jennylind.htm

Supposedly this women best represents what Jenny Lind may have sounded like when she sang. this same song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3RMFGk7ndE


The Jenny Lind calabash flasks.

Jenny Lind in the 1840s right through the 1860s was more popular then the Beatles,Elvis, Sinatra,Michael Jackson and any other modern singing legend.She was loved and adorned by the entire public where as the aforementioned singers had their own genres and age classes. Jenny sold out every concert in America well ahead of each scheduled event in each major United states city in her whirlwind tour.The business community would plaster her likeness on just about every conceivable piece of marketable merchandise imaginable just like today's star athletes and entertainers adorn endless collectable items and clothing. The glass factories joined in and and in a short span Jenny Lind or as in some cases spelled Jeny Lind was carved into the molds of the new calabash type glass flasks that were flooding the liquor markets in the Mid Atlantic Region in the year 1850 on up to 1880.Jenny's portrait was mainly displayed on these calabash type flasks but she also is seen on three violin shaped flasks from the West Virginia glass works in Wellsburg charted by Mckearin as the GI-108,109 and 110

Here are most of the known charted Jenny Lind calabash flasks most of them being made in New Jersey
glass works with half of them with some sort of attribution to Samuel Huffsey.

 

[Steve/sewell]

The GI-99 Embossed on the front side JENNY LIND above the portrait and on the other side of the flask the embossing GLASS WORKS above a factory and below the factory the words S. HUFFSEY.The bottom has a rough pontil most of the time but I know first hand as I own 8 of these that two of them sport the perfectly centered dot seen a lot on three piece mold bottles.This bottle was made at the Milford glass works and the Isabella Glass works in New Brooklyn New Jersey in the 1851-1853 time period and later at the Williamstown glass works in the years 1858 to 1870.This may be the reason for the different bottoms on the bottles.The Mckearins list this flask as common. In aqua it is common but it comes in many colors from Deep blue green,Olive -Yellow Deep-Green -with a yellow tone,light yellow green,Olive-green,Aquamarine,Amber-light,and Amber Dark These other colors have commanded good prices over the years with many selling for more then 20,000 dollars

 

[Steve/sewell]

Jenny in close.

 

[Steve/sewell]

The factory side of the bottle.

 

[Steve/sewell]

The factory side in close.

 

[Steve/sewell]

The typical pontil mark seen on this bottle.

 

[Steve/sewell]

The GI-99a This may in fact be a fantasy bottle as only one was ever reported supposedly in 1965. The difference between the GI-99 and this bottle is the lack of Embossing on the Jenny lind side of the bottle. All of the other attributes are the exact same.The color on this one specimen was reported to be Aquamarine.Obviously I don't have a picture of this one!![]............wish I did.[]

 

[Steve/sewell]

The GI 100 on one side the embossing JENNY LIND above her portrait and on the reverse the Embossing KOSSUTH above the bust of Louis Kosssuth the hero of the Hungarian uprising in 1848 but fled to America as the czars of Europe wanted his head on a platter.This bottle also has a rough pontil most of the time but again it also has the tiny centered dot seen on three piece molds.This bottle comes in two colors Aquamarine and medium green. This bottle uses the same Jenny Lind mold that was used on the Huffsey made GI-99 and the other side has a bust of kossuth.This bottle is no doubt a product of either the Milford,Isabella, or the Williamstown glass works .Mckearin lists this flask as comparatively scarce.

 

[Steve/sewell]

Jenny side of the bottle in close.

 

[Steve/sewell]

The Kossuth side of the bottle.