The stylized world of children depicted by English artist Kate Greenaway (1846-1901) achieved great popularity in the late 19th century. Like the famous "Brownie" characters created by her contemporary, Palmer Cox, Greenaway's drawings were widely copied for decoration on silver, china and glass, including Mt. Washington glass from New Bedford, Massachusetts. For some unknown reason the Mt. Washington examples almost always take the form of conical ring vases (see examples to left). Their colored enamel decorations were painted by the Smith Brothers decorating firm, also of New Bedford, and occasionally the vases bear a Smith Brothers signature.
In 2006 NBMOG made an exciting discovery and acquisition when the Greenaway-style vase illustrated to the upper left came to light. Acting on a tip from member Ross Nelson, the Museum was able to purchase this vase at a small auction in Connecticut. It features the strange scene of a boy who holds out his arms in a protective gesture before a road sign while a small girl and dog cower at his feet. The scene undoubtedly was copied from a published Greenaway illustration, but was modified by the glass decorator to include the sign, which reads "To New Bedford" (see detail below). Currently it is the only example of Mt. Washington glass known to feature the words "New Bedford" as part of the decoration.
