Caprice Update
by Mark Nye
Issue No. 432 - October 2009
Recently, copies of two previously unknown Cambridge catalog pages illustrating Caprice were acquired by the author and are reprinted here. The original pages came from the Cambridge "catalog" that had the line name or item type in script that extended above the black background and hence appeared on the page part in white and part in black. The original Caprice catalog pages have the words "patent pending" on them. The newly discovered pages have the patent numbers and thus were issued after the end of April 1936 when the fourth and final design patent covering the line was issued.
While at first glance there does not appear to be any previous undocumented items on these pages, a closer look reveals there are two, the 71 – 7½ inch 2 Holder Candelabrum and the No. 69 7½ inch 2 Holder Candlestick. The basic items are not new, it is the style of each that is different and these styles were not included in the book Cambridge Caprice, as published by NCC, Inc.
The original No. 69 Candelabrum had attached shell bobeches, an opening just above the base and looked like two No. 70 candlesticks put back to back. It did not have a single knob in the center; rather there was a low "double" knob. Also shown in the Caprice book was a version of the No. 69 that did not have the attached shell bobeches, had a single knob in the center and no opening at the base. Another version was also shown in outline form in the article "Notes on Caprice." The version seen on the recently found catalog page does not have the center knob; rather it has the low "double knob" of the original version. It would appear this version dates between the attached shell bobeche version and the center single knob version or from the years 1937-1938.
The No. 71 candelabrum was simply the No. 69 (the version without attached bobeches) with the addition of collars for removable bobeches, the actual bobeches and prisms. Hence the No. 71 candelabrum seen on the new catalog page has the "low double knob" in the center. According to the catalog page these candelabra were made in both Crystal and Moonlight. The author would like to hear from Caprice collectors who have these items in their collections. I am not one of those fortunate enough to have either one.
For your convenience, the two catalog pages are shown below.
