Shinola Bottle

By Barb Chamberlain

Have you ever wondered about the intended purpose of some of our carnival glass pieces? We know some were fully useful like vases for flowers, water pitchers and tumblers, and of course, punch bowls and cups. But what about some of the other pieces that seem not to have any designed purpose other than the beauty itself? Some of the highly raised patterns of bowls and plates certainly didn’t bode well for serving. And what about some of those miniatures? Of what use were they?

There is no doubt as to what this little bottle’s intended use was. The mystery is why they bothered to make it iridescent. Maybe they thought it would intrigue the children who might be expected to use it.

This bottle is embossed Shinola Dressing for Children’s Shoes in the lower band around the bottom of the bottle. There are six embossed shoes in the larger stippled band above the brand name.

We also know the manufacturer of this little bottle. It is marked with an A under the cross of the H, so that makes it a product of the Hazel-Atlas Company. This company was formed in 1902 combining the Hazel Glass Company with the Atlas Glass and Metal Company. This new company was stationed in West Virginia. There is also a number under the company mark – K-7636. This might be a mold or product number, but I’m unsure about that speculation.

This little bottle would be classified as white carnival glass. It tends to be more clear than frosty. The likely scenario would be that the bottle was made at the Hazel-Atlas Company and iridized by someone other than them. It has a watery type of iridescence.

This measures about two and one‐half inches tall with a base diameter of two and one‐half inches. It still possesses the original dauber which connects with a wire to a cork at the top. This cork presumably sealed the bottle when it was filled at the Shinola Shoe Polish Company.

Perhaps you have a novelty item that you would like included in a future issue of The Carnival Pump. I would love to have you send a photo with a few lines about your item. You may email it to me at dbcham@iowatelecom.net or send it by mail to 124 E. Honey Creek Dr., Manchester, IA 52057.

This article first appeared in the ICGA Pump in the June 2016 issue and is reprinted with permission.