TAPPAN

BOUQUET HOLDER GLASS BOOTS

by Theodore D. Delude

Tappan Bouquet Holder Boots

Herman Tappan was issued a patent on December 14, 1886 for what is known as a Bouquet Holder glass boot. Tappan was an entrepreneur who owned the largest perfume manufacturing business in New York City. Although his name is on the patent, he didn’t make these boots. Unfortunately, the maker of these boots is unknown. The following may explain why. On page 73 of the book, Finlay Glass, the glass tableware manufacturers, 1886-1902 by James Measell and Don E. Smith, they write: “ Although stemware and a limited number of tableware sets seem to constitute the bulk of the Bellaire’s ( The Bellaire Goblet Co.) output, some attractive novelties were also made. None of these were mentioned in any of the trade periodicals, but all ( novelties made by Bellaire) have been verified from fragments dug at the factory site.” Not mentioning or printing in their catalogs some of the novelties that they offered by a number of glass companies appears to have been a common occurrence. Finding any fragments or remains of these Bouquet Holder boots has never occurred. So, we are left to simply state, maker unknown. The original Bouquet Holders came in the following colors. Crystal or Clear, Vaseline, Amber, Blue, Amethyst and Apple Green. Amethyst is hard to find and Apple Green is rare. The Crystal, Amber and Blue boots are found with both “BOUQUET HOLdER PAT. APPLIED FOR” and “BOUQUET HOLdER PATENT DEC. 1886” on the base. 1

Tappan Bouquet Holder Boots cont.

The Vaseline, Amethyst and Apple Green boots have only been found with “ BOUQUET HOLdER PAT. APPLIED FOR” For some reason, the “d” in holder is lower case. There are still many of the original Bouquet Holder boots available, especially on ebay. There are also many reproductions or copies out there which can be very confusing as to what is original and what isn’t. That is the purpose of this document, to help anyone to tell the difference with pictures to compare. 2

Originals vs. Reproductions

Fenton Art Glass came out in 1965-66 with a Bouquet Holder boot that didn’t have any lettering at all on the base. A blank base that came in these colors. Colonial Blue, Colonial Amber, Colonial Green, Opaque White and Orange. See page 13. In 1995, Fenton made a Pink iridized Bouquet Holder boot for QFC. This boot is shorter, and has only seven horizontal laces down the front strip vs. nine on all other boots. Also, there is a very small Fenton oval on the base and the base has no other lettering. See page 14. There are a number of cheap crinkly glass reproductions boots probably made in Taiwan that have just “BOUQUET HOLdER” on the base. They come in Crystal or Clear, dark Blue, dark Green and dark Amber. There may be other colors as well. It’s pretty easy to tell the difference holding an original along side one of these repro’s. The main thing to look for is the quality of the glass, whether it is clear or crinkly, and the color. Also, whether it has sharp features or rounder and heavier features. The originals measure 5 ½ inches high and 4 3/8 inches long. See page 17. 3

Apple Green BOUQUET HOLdER PAT.APPLIED FOR

This Apple Green original Bouquet Holder shoe is a rare color.

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Amber BOUQUET HOLdER PAT. APPLIED FOR

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Amber BOUQUET HOLdER PATENT DEC 1886

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Amber WOODSIDES BOOTS & SHOES

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Blue BOUQUET HOLdER PAT. APPLIED FOR

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Blue BOUQUET HOLdER PATENT DEC. 1886

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Vaseline BOUQUET HOLdER PAT. APPLIED FOR

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Amethyst BOUQUET HOLdER PAT. APPLIED FOR

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Crystal BOUQUET HOLdER PAT. APPLIED FOR

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Fenton Colonial Blue 1965-66 No lettering on base – blank

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Fenton Iridized Petal Pink 1995 Made for QFC – blank base

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Unknown maker BOUQUET HOLdER

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Originals vs Reproduction

Notice the thickness of the glass on the reproduction shoe vs. the thinner edge of the original Amethyst & Apple Green

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Original vs. Reproduction Notice the height difference between the original Amber and the iridized Fenton in the middle and the Colonial Blue Fenton Also the iridized Fenton has only seven lace lines down the center strip where all the other shoes have nine lace lines.

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Original vs. Reproduction This is another view to compare the original Amber vs. the two reproduction shoes. The Amberina colored shoe dates from the 1970’s. The maker is unknown.

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Reproduction Boot This cobalt boot is a reproduction that is easy to spot. It has rounder and thicker sides and also a solid panel instead of an opening between the heel and sole of the boot. Also the base is thicker. It doesn’t have the sharp features of an original Bouquet Holder boot.

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Reproduction Boots These four boots are the kind that come from overseas.

Reproduction Original 20

Final Remarks

Without an original to compare with a reproduction side by side, it can be sometimes difficult to tell what you have. I hope these pictures presented here are helpful in telling the originals from the copies. The color of the boot is the first sign to check. Then the lettering or lack of on the fiddle like base. Is the glass heavier with rounder features? There are several original Bouquet Holder boots that have advertising on the base. WOODSIDES BOOTS & SHOES is one. These boots are very hard to find and come in Amber, Blue and Crystal for certain and possibly Vaseline, although I don’t know of one. Woodsides was a shoe store located in Denver, Colorado. One other boot with advertising on it has recently surfaced which has COMPLIMENTS of JAMES WOTHERSPOON on the base. I believe that Wotherspoon was from Ogden, Utah and was in the candy and confectionary business and traveled throughout the Western states representing the Shupe-Williams Candy Co. Hopefully, there are more of this boot out there. So far, I know of only one, in Amber. The Apple Green boot that is shown is very rare, only two are known to exist. There are many originals and even more reproductions in a variety of colors out there. Knowing which is which is helpful in determining the value and what you should pay for it. I’ve seen prices ranging from $ 9.99 to $70.00 on ebay for an original. What should you pay for one? That is determined by how bad you want one and how much you are willing to spend for it. 21

More Comparisons

Reproduction Original 22

Another Comparison

Reproduction Original 23