Pattern Name:OWL AND POSSUM

Pattern Motif:Animals

Glass Type:Non-Flint

Era:1870s

Description:50 Favorites - 38. Owl and 'Possum was described by Ruth Webb Lee as an "amusing" pattern of the 1870's. Today it is recognized as one of the most distictive naturalistic designs of the period. it was claimed as a product of the Portland Glass company by Frank Swan, who noted that the tree trunk stem bore "deffinate" Portland characteristics. More recently, Thelma and Lawrence Ladd supported Swan's attribution, claiming the pattern was named "Winter Tree" by the Portland company in unidentified "early accounts." Given the tenuous nature of these assertions, the origin of the OWL AND 'POSSUM pattern is considered uncertain. Lee could list only three forms in the pattern: the goblet, a footed sauce dish and a water pitcher. All three are exceptionally rare. Alice Hulett Metz and Doris and Peter Unitt mention that the goblet has been reproduced but they do not provide criteria for distinguishing the old from the new. The Ladds help make up for this deficiency, stating that the old goblet stands on a crooked trunk while the trunk of the reproduction was "thoughtfully" straightened by the maker. Pattern glass dealer Besty Hewlett adds that in the old goblet a narrow space appears between the 'possum and the branch, while in the new goblet the 'possum rests directly on the branch. Both the original and reproduction were pressed in non-lead glass. (50 Favorites catalogue) U1, p.145; M1, p. 92