The Hard Luck Heron
by Georgia G. Otten
In the April 2005 Crystal Ball there was a wonderful chart published for our benefit listing the various figural flower frogs, their sizes, bases and colors, made by the Cambridge Glass Company. A note was added asking for any additions or corrections to the chart and to please let the Editor know. That is what I am doing. There is a 13" Heron on the Style 3 base. In my case, it is the Hard Luck Heron.
Have you ever looked at your Cambridge glass and wondered where it lived before becoming part of your collection? With the elegance of the glass and the utilitarian value as
well, we can conjure up most any scenario we would like. We can visualize someone else's china cupboard or sideboard from another time period and see all the Cambridge glass waiting to be used.
Sometimes a little imagination can go a long way. I have imagined and this is the vision I have for my Heron's previous life! The Heron lived in a birdbath! The yard surrounding that birdbath may have been most elegant with wonderful borders of flowers and neatly cut hedges. However, I fear the person responsible for cleaning and filling the birdbath was not the most gentle with the Heron! You will see in the photos that the ribbed base is very badly chipped and chunks are missing! I think the Heron was dropped to the ground while the birdbath was being cleaned and then picked up and more or less unceremoniously dropped back into the birdbath! Chip, chip, and chip.
Hopefully you will also be able to see a very definite water line mark around the base ... that would happen with the piece sitting in water for an extended period of time outside in that birdbath. The base below the water line is crystal and the rest of the Heron is wonderful Heatherbloom ... Well, make that sun-colored. Another result of being outside in the birdbath in the sun! My Hard Luck Heron is not so bad after all...a lovely shade of lavender!
This Heron may have had a difficult existence, but at least we know he did exist!