Attributed F & C Osler & Co| Vaseline Glass “Pineapple” Pendant | England c.1905

A cast-brass Edwardian lantern in the recognisable neo-classical design attributed to F & C Osler  due to destintive gallery design but apparently unsigned. The original vaseline glass “pineapple”  lampshade possibly by James Powell & Sons of Whitfriars Glass works. England c.1905.

Ht.(overall)38cm/15in, Ht.(shade)16/6.5, W.11/4.5

F & C Osler, Birmingham & London

  • The company Osler was established in Birmingham, 1807 by Thomas Osler

  • The business really began functioning in 1831 when his sons Abraham Follett & Thomas Clarkson took over and the company.

  • Specialising in crystal glass chandeliers they opened a showroom filled with the best stock on Oxford Street.

  • In the latter half of the 19th century Osler found success in India due to the countries wealth and efficient shipping links.

  •  The name F & C Osler was first recognised on 14th July 1906 when the children and grandchildren of Follett and Clarkson became the first directors.

  • From 1911 the demand for simple clean pieces of glass was lost, however the demand for light fittings made entirely of metal was flourishing.

  • This coincided nicely with the opportunity to acquire a lighting company named Faraday & Son Ltd in 1919 and the company became Osler & Faraday Ltd.

Whitefriars Glass Company, London

James Powell & Sons

  • In 1834 James Powell,  then a 60-year-old London wine merchant and entrepreneur, purchased the Whitefriars Glass Company, a small glass-works off Fleet Street in London.

  • Powell, and his sons Arthur and Nathanael, were newcomers to glass making, but soon acquired the necessary expertise and specialised in making church stain glass windows.

  • During the latter part of the c.19th, the firm formed a close association with leading architects and designers. Whitefriars produced the glass that Phillip Webb used in his designs for William Morris

  • By 1900 production lines of  vaseline and opalescent glass-ware, including lampshades, were proving to be extremely successful with clients such as William Arthur Smith Benson using their glass in the design of their lights.

  • The firm’s name was changed to Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) Ltd in 1919

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