1800s Sea Captain’s Life Told Through Collection

At 6 foot, 4 inches tall and “powerfully built” Capt. Hall Jackson Tibbits would brook no foolishness.

After his “religious principles” were violated by passengers dancing on [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Captain Hall J. Tibbits (American, 1797 to 1872)

This article about the life and career of Captain Tibbits by Eric C. Rodenberg appeared on the 4 November 2013 front page of Antique Week’s National Section. Used by permission. http://www.antiqueweek.com.

1800s Sea Captain’s Life Told Through Collection

At 6 foot, 4 inches tall and “powerfully built” Capt. Hall Jackson Tibbits would brook no foolishness.

After a trip around Cape Horn, from New York to San Francisco soured and passengers began to complain, he threatened to fire the ship’s powder magazine and “blow it all to hell.”

Characterized by his detractors as “habitually intoxicated and mentally deranged,” the Captain suffered few complaints from passengers or crew.

After sending a “disease-racked” sailor aloft to the crow’s nest during a gale, a passenger idly commented that it was a wonder the sailor ever survived. “Aye,” said Capt. Tibbits. “I never have sick crewmen for long.”

Although Tibbits was normally a China trades shipper, the gold strike in California in 1849, proved to be a boon to business. And Capt. Tibbits was all about business.

In January of that year, the owners of the 532-ton square rigger Pacific, Tibbits and Frederick Griffing, advertised for passengers to make the “trip around the Horn,” leaving New York and arriving in San Francisco. It was a perilous three-to six-month journey, with tempestuous storms and gales rounding The Horn of South America, piracy and uncertainties at every port.

However, the genial Captain assured his first-class passengers that for $300, he would provide an ample table, comfortable “staterooms” and superlative service.”

However, Tibbits could not resist the temptation of “overbooking” the passage, particularly after he sold officials from the New England Mining and Trading Co. a block of staterooms for $275 each. Supposedly the passage was limited to 50 staterooms; however, 72 first-class tickets were sold, according to an account in Forty-Niners ‘Round the Horn by Charles R. Schultz.

Once the passengers learned they had been hoodwinked, they filed a lawsuit. But, Capt. Tibbets – not to be dry-docked by any lawyer – quietly slipped the Pacific out of New York in the late afternoon “to escape any further problems with the lawsuit.”

Many of cash-paying customers were left ashore, helplessly jumping and screaming. In the end, those left on land would count themselves fortunate.

“The first disillusionment experienced by the passengers aboard the Pacific was the attitude of one Capt. Tibbets, who trod the quarterdeck,” according to an account published in the Oakland Tribune. “The jovial mariner who previously extolled the service of his craft, the bounty of its table and the conveniences of travel aboard the ship, proved a relentless tyrant as soon as land was left behind.

“Thirty days out of New York, the passengers were miserable with seasickness and cold. Snow confined them in verminous quarters. The food consisted of raw mush, preserved meats, dubbed ‘old junk,’ and beans. Some of the passengers asked why pickles and vegetables were not served with meals, and the Captain blandly explained these items as being saved against the time when the passengers developed scurvy.”

Once the ship made port in Rio de Janerio, the passengers scurried to the U.S. Consulate with their allegations of cruel and inhumane treatment. Despite protesting vigorously against what he characterized as “the abuse of authority and the outrages committed upon me individually,” Tibbits was relieved of duty by the American Consul. Another captain was appointed to commandeer the ship the remainder of the journey. Tibbits was left aground in Brazil, according to a 1958 account by maritime historian W.Z. Gardner, and had to make his own way to San Francisco to re-claim his ship.

Although the debacle of the Pacific during his latter years of command left a black mark on the Captain’s legacy, he was widely regarded among his peers as a loyal old salt with an intimate knowledge of the seas.

Despite tyrannical tendencies, Capt. Tibbits was a true “son of the sea.” He went to sea young, with his father who captained a three-masted square-rigger running the China trade route from New York to Canton.

By the time of his father’s death, the 24-year-old Tibbits was one of the youngest shipmasters in the China trade. “Young Hall was physically strong, mentally alert and keenly interested in mastering the mysteries of navigation,” Gardner wrote.

During the ensuing years, Tibbits would own and command several clipper ships, trading tea and silk on a trade route between America, China and South America. He bought the Baltimore clipper ship, Architect, and after sailing it around the Horn discovered “she was too cranky and hard to handle,” according to son, George’s account, recorded by Gardner. In 1854, he sold the ship in Hong Kong, “at a considerable financial loss.” The favorite of the Captain’s ships was the Southerner, a three-masted, 670 ton ship which initially carried ten guns to discourage piracy. Built in 1834 in the shipyards of New York, she responded to the Captain’s subtle and learned touch until retiring in 1851.

But, the Southerner did not always carry Tibbits to “fair seas.”

Trade with the Far Eastern Empire was lucrative in the era of 1830-1860, with Chinese furniture, silk and tea in high demand in the West. But the “price” was to be paid; engaging in the China trade was not for the faint-hearted. Trade and diplomatic relations between the Chinese and the West were fragile at best; at the worse, culminating in the Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1857-1858).

In his latter years, his son George explained his father’s sea-born skill with a simple statement: “You have to have a ‘sense of the sea and of the sky.’ The Captain could tell a storm was coming three days in advance.”

After standing at the helm of the large three-masted square rigged ships of the high seas since 1821, the Captain – as many old salts – began to yearn for a more tranquil life in the country. In 1852, not quite the Ancient Mariner at 55 years old, the Captain bought a 127-acre farm on Sands Point, Long Island. Initially built by Capt. John Sands in the early 1700s, the house ultimately was expanded to 24 rooms. Nestled on the Atlantic shore, one of the Captain’s first projects was construction of a 90-foot porch fronting the ocean. During the next 20 years, Capt. Tibbits paced the porch, often posting himself behind a 3-foot-long telescope (marked Dolland, London, Day or Night) keeping vigil on his sea. When he moved into the old house, Tibbits brought with him an extensive collection of curios and paintings from his trips to China. He had a library full of sea-related literature and, as additional comfort, scattered around him the compass, chronometer, telescopes and barometer that had helped him navigate the globe for three decades. He also placed in his library a miniature folding writing desk, he used at sea, in addition to a large mahogany settee jettisoned from his quarters in the Southerner. Especially made to accommodate his large frame, the settee measured seven feet. Ship models made for him by crew members surrounded his home, in addition to several examples of exquisite Chinese craftsmanship in silk and ivory gathered during his travels. He also retained several antiques passed down through his family.

In 1872, the Captain died. His son, George, came from San Francisco to be with his mother. The home remained in the family until the spring of 1959 when it was sold. Prior to selling the home, all of Capt. Tibbit’s China Trade and nautical memorabilia were moved to a descendant’s home and large barn in Wading River, New York. There, it has remained for more than 50 years.

When Ron Pook, founder and owner of Pook and Pook Auctioneers and Appraisers come upon the China Trade trove, he was, at the least, stunned. “It was like stumbling onto a big time capsule; material piled up and virtually untouched for 150 years,” he said. “It’s unbelievable. This is the most important China Trade collection in existence. There hasn’t been one like it and, I’ll guarantee you, there won’t be another.” [It includes] the old nautical devices, Chinese art, the porcelain, ivory, sailors’ scrimshaw work, old leather-and-brass-tacked sea trunks (one with the name, Capt. Hall J. Tibbit), ship models, lacquered-veneer furniture – “it’s all there,” Pook said. Included among the items for sale are a portrait of the Captain and a painting of his favorite clipper, Southerner. Despite their age, both look as if they’re ready to sail again.

Information courtesy of Pook & Pook, Inc., January 2014.

Thatcher Manufacturing referred to the [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Pyroglaze Decorated Milk Bottles

A Hertzler’s Dairy pyroglazed milk bottle from Elizabethtown PA, p4A item D9691542

Pyroglazing, or pyro for short, is a type of silk screening decoration introduced in the early 1930s to put colored labels on bottles. Pigments were fused to the glass during manufacture to create colored text and graphic designs. The process was quicker and more cost effective than using molds needed for embossing.

Thatcher Manufacturing referred to the process as pyroglazing. The Owens-Illinois Glass Company used the term Applied Color Labeling or ACL. The advent of colored labels was very appealing to the dairies and farms for advertising purposes making pyro decorated bottles the bottle of choice by the 1940s.

William Blenko had success as a manufacturer of stained glass. While that business dried up with the arrival of the Depression, by 1932 his tableware was on display at Macy’s. Today, collectors look for Blenko’s signature pieces in exaggerated sizes, bold shapes, and brilliant colors.

Brief History of Blenko Glass Born in 1853, William J. Blenko began learning his trade at the age of 13 [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Blenko Glass

Art Glass of the Atomic Age 1950-1960

William Blenko had success as a manufacturer of stained glass. While that business dried up with the arrival of the Depression, by 1932 his tableware was on display at Macy’s. Today, collectors look for Blenko’s signature pieces in exaggerated sizes, bold shapes, and brilliant colors.

Brief History of Blenko Glass
Born in 1853, William J. Blenko began learning his trade at the age of 13 working in various glass houses in his native London. In 1893 he emigrated to the U.S. anxious to open his own factory manufacturing mouth-blown sheet glass for stained glass windows. From his first small shop in 1903 until his success with Eureka Glass, he started and folded a number of concerns. Blenko spent years developing a formula for ruby red sheet glass, and today, the Blenko name is synonymous with brilliantly colored glass.

Blenko blue glass art vase circa 1960
p4A item C224494

The Eureka Glass Company had a successful run as the only American manufacturer of mouth-blown sheet glass until the Great Depression when building came to a halt, and with it, the demand for stained glass windows. In 1929, Blenko hired a pair of Swedish part-time glass blowers and began producing the hand-blown tableware for which the company is famous today.

Blenko Tableware: Bold Forms & Brilliant Colors
By 1932, Blenko tableware was sold at Macy’s, and before long department stores all over the U.S. stocked their extravagantly colored bottles, decanters and vases. The earliest pieces were heavily influenced by Swedish designs, but the best pieces may be from 1946-1953. During this time, Blenko hired its first in-house designer, Winslow Anderson. One of Anderson’s signature designs, the Bent Neck Decanter is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The company’s next designer, Wayne Husted (1952-1963) was responsible for the over-sized bottles and architectural floor pieces that are popular with today’s collectors.

Wayne Husted for Blenko green glass pinched decanter with stopper
p4A item D9881635

Collecting Blenko Glass
Identifying a Blenko piece is difficult, as except for the years from 1958-61, when the manufacturer’s mark was etched, Blenko applied paper labels, which these days, are almost always missing. The best way to be sure to purchase a real Blenko piece is to be familiar with the product lines as well as some of the manufacturing quirks including rough pontil marks (the part of the piece that was attached to a holding rod after being separated from the blow pipe) on the base, rounded and sometimes uneven fire polished rims, and thick walls. Generally speaking, the largest pieces have the highest values. Because they were easily broken and damaged, they are harder to find than smaller pieces.

Collectible Blenko Glass Colors
Blenko was justly famous for its intense colors, and collectors seek pieces in their signature and out of the ordinary colors such as Mulberry, Lime, Aqua, Plum, Gold, Tangerine, and Lime. The most valuable pieces, which can sell for a few thousand dollars combine unusual forms, brilliant colors, and named designers.

Reference: Miller, Judith; Buy Keep, or Sell Reader’s Digest Books c2005.

Reference note by p4A contributing editor Susan Cramer.

By the middle of the 16th century, the once brilliant Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was in decline. Beset by external threats in the form of piracy on the coast and the aggressive Mongol nomads to the north, conditions were made worse by inept [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Note: Chinese names of cities and individuals appear first in Pinyin. Traditional or Wade-Giles versions, where available, follow in parenthesis.

The Golden Years of the Qing Dynasty: The Ming Dynasty Crumbles

By the middle of the 16th century, the once brilliant Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was in decline. Beset by external threats in the form of piracy on the coast and the aggressive Mongol nomads to the north, conditions were made worse by inept government leadership and fermenting internal unrest. A popular movement to return to a pure Confucian morality was brutally crushed by government forces, its proponents deprived of office, beaten, tortured and executed. Having lost popular support, the regime foundered as rebellion after rebellion broke out. Aided by desperate famine conditions in the northwest, a rebel general conquered three provinces by 1643, and went on to capture Beijing [Peking] in 1644, where he discovered the last Ming Emperor hanging from the rafters in the summerhouse behind the Imperial Palace.

The Manchu Tribes and the Transition Years

While the Ming dynasty was disintegrating, the Jurchen [Manzhou or Manchu] tribes were consolidating in the north. Based south of Mongolia, natural barriers separated and thus protected them from the warlike Mongol tribes. The country the Manchu inhabited possessed fertile soil, plentiful timber, and mineral deposits. Isolation and abundant natural resources combined with the gifted leadership of a Manchu tribal leader brought about the gradual unification of the tribes. Nurhachi [nuer ha chi] (1559-1626) was a dynamic leader and an able administrator, who over the course of thirty years, turned a diverse group of tribes into an organized state.

Nurhachi cemented relations with other clans through prudent marriages and eliminated opposition through blood feuds. Reorganizing his army, he handpicked his generals for talent and loyalty. His companies were organized into larger groups called Banners which were composed of soldiers from a variety of tribes and regions, thus eliminating a soldier’s individual loyalty to his own clan or tribe. Operating with the approval of the Ming, who named him Dragon-Tiger General, Nurhachi built a firm economic foundation for his infant state though commerce in minerals, furs, pearls and ginseng, (a root believed to restore youth and sexual prowess). His involvement with the development of a written language (a system based upon a form of Mongolian script) made possible the keeping of accurate records which lead to the improvement of governmental administration based on Confucian principles for ordered government and social unity. In 1618, Nurhachi moved openly against the Ming, capturing two principal cities, one of which, Shenyang [Mukden] was made the new capital of the fledgling Qing dynasty. Nurhachi died in 1626, before his conquest was complete, and leadership shifted to his 8th son, Abhai (r1626-1643).

Abhai continued his father’s efforts to strengthen the newest dynasty by bringing the bulk of the main portion of Manchuria under his control. His appointment of a prominent Chinese grand secretary solidified relations between the Chinese and Manchu that helped bring about the dynasty’s long middle period of prosperity and stability. When Abahai died in 1643, his six year old son succeeded him, with Dorgon, his uncle, acting as regent. Like his predecessors, Dorgon was a wise and able ruler who continued the traditions of his ancestors.

While the Manchu were moving forward towards conquest and unification, the Ming dynasty was beset on all sides. During one of its numerous internal revolutions, a Ming general invited Manchu forces to help quell an uprising in the capital, and afterwards, the Manchu stayed for the next 300 years, eventually evicting their Ming hosts. Although a presence in the south, the Qing dynasty was strongest in the north, but after a series of rebellions, the last of the Ming were overthrown in 1683, and the Qing rulers were established as the emperors of all China.

The Kang Xi Emperor

First Qing Dynasty Ruler: The Kang Xi Emperor

The Qing [Ch' ing] Dynasty was slow to establish itself, but thanks to two long term enlightened emperors who ruled in close succession, it enjoyed a long middle period of stability, prosperity and growth both geographically and culturally. By the middle of the dynasty, the territory controlled by the Dragon Throne was the most extensive in Chinese history, both past and present.

The Kang Xi [K'ang-hsi] Emperor (r1661-1722), considered the first of the Qing Dynasty Emperors, ruled for over 60 years, ascending the throne in 1661. With the exception of unrest in the north, his reign was a period of relative peace, prosperity and expansion. While commanding a large Chinese force and with the help of artillery, Kang Xi and his army defeated a large horde of western Mongols, the first ever victory against these fierce mounted warriors who had dominated the steppes for centuries.

Kang Xi was an able military leader, a brilliant ruler and accomplished scholar. Frequent trips to the south put him in contact with the flower of Chinese scholarship in the form of the dynasty’s most talented scholar officials. Under his patronage, scholars compiled monumental works dealing with calligraphy, painting, geography, philosophy, and ethics. With Kang Xi’s death in 1722, Yong Zheng [Yung Cheng], one of his 26 sons, took the throne and ruled for the next 14 years. Backed by military might, Yong Zheng continued the work of concentrating power under the Emperor, setting the stage for his son, Qian Long [Ch'ien-lung].

Qian Long Emperor

Qian Long, Emperor

Qian Long (r1736-1795) was an autocratic and hard working leader who, like his grandfather, had a deep interest in art and scholarship. While these three early Qing Dynasty rulers were Manchu, the cultural and artistic achievements of earlier dynasties were treasured and many aspects of Chinese culture and ethics were adapted.

Qian Long had an especial interest in literature, and during his reign, a vast collection known as The Four Treasuries was completed. This work encompassed seven sets of 36,000 volumes. In addition to the worth of the work itself, it demonstrated the Emperor’s value of culture to the large number of Chinese scholars engaged in it, cementing relations between the Chinese and the Manchu by proving that what was once considered a foreign dynasty consisted of civilized gentlemen worthy of allegiance. Through his adoption of Chinese culture and ethics, Qian Long and his advisors convinced even the most reluctant subjects of the Qing’s fitness to rule all China.

Qing Dynasty Art Objects and Innovation

Characterized as an antiquarian age, artists and craftsmen were inspired by China’s long and glorious history. Styles and motifs were taken from the past, and new works were created in old styles and forms using updated techniques. Widespread prosperity due to growing commercial wealth created a greater demand for beautiful as well as useful objects. More wealth in more hands brought about experimentation with stylistic innovations in color, form and texture. Expanding foreign markets drove the creation of new styles, especially for porcelain, and although these pieces were intended for export, the new motifs undoubtedly influenced Chinese tastes as well.

The West Opens China & the Qing Dynasty Declines

Although China was enjoying a period of internal stability and prosperity, challenges would soon arise, in the form of Europeans, particularly the British, seeking trade access to tea and silk. British subjects were clamoring for Chinese goods and although His Majesty’s earliest emissaries obeyed the Emperor’s strict rules governing trade, subsequent traders relied on force. The opening of China to the West, starting around 1699 was the beginning of the decline of the once glorious Qing Dynasty, although it would continue to exist in a considerably weakened state for another 200 years.

Qing Dynasty in Decline: Invasion and Rebellion

Once the British had gained a foothold in China, the rest of the western world demanded entry as well. The opening of the ports of Canton (Guangzhou), Xiamen (Hsiamen), Fuzhou (Foochow), Ninpo and Shanghai as a result of the Treaty of Nanjing (Nanking) gave the barbarians access deep within the interior of China. Having received favored nation status as a result of the treaty, the British were awarded the same rights as the multitude of western powers who followed, negotiating their own treaties with the empire, and demanding more access and greater privileges. The result was the continued weakening of the Qing Dynasty’s Imperial Court.

Unequal Treaties and the Destruction of the Summer Palace

By 220 B.C., the Chinese Empire lacked neighbors. Acquisitions of adjacent territories created a map of China in which all neighboring lands fell within her boarders, with the exception of the bleak territory to the north inhabited only by nomads. Over the long course of Chinese history, this fed into the country’s identity as the center of civilization surrounded by inferior and barbaric races. Naturally, the western visitors did not view themselves in this light, believing their intercourse with China to be free trade between two equal and sovereign nations. Chinese views of law, legal proceedings, and society were in direct contrast to those held in England, the Chinese view being communal while the British believed in the rights of the individual. These two mutually incompatible views of life and society created a gulf between the two nations that was bridged only with the use of force by the west. The Chinese disdain for the barbarians of Europe was trumped by sheer firepower when French and English troops looted and burned the Summer Palace in 1860. The Emperor and his court fled north, and while the ashes of the Summer Palace’s priceless treasures smoldered, the Europeans were found to have won the right to travel at will, sail their ships up the Yangzi (Yang-tse), to open ten additional ports to trade, to appoint ambassadors to the Imperial Court, to establish Christian missions without restraint, and to legally import opium. The peace treaty also included an enormous indemnity for the victors.

The Taiping Rebellion

External pressures created by foreigners were not the only problems plaguing the empire. By 1850, the Qing Dynasty was seriously threatened by a large-scale popular revolt. China’s past was riddled with instances of discontent among its peasants, and the country had a history of rebellions that typically fermented around religion, one of China’s bloodiest was the Taiping Rebellion, brainchild of Hong Xiuquan (1814 to 1846). Having failed to qualify for a post at the Imperial Court, Hong had a fever-induced dream, in which he discovered himself to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ called upon to save the Chinese people from its corrupt government and the teachings of Confucius. Hong studied with an American missionary, and his Chinese Christian movement, Worship God Society was born. Multiple factors contributed to the widespread success of this revolt, which began in the south. Due to the weakening of the authority of the Empire’s central government, regional bands of militia began forming in an attempt to keep order in the east. Trading patterns that had existed for centuries were disrupted by the European invaders thus creating economic distress for the Chinese. Simmering antagonism between the Han Chinese and the Manzhou (Manchu) ruling class incited out of work miners, charcoal makers, coolies and hungry peasants. The lure of revolt against wealthy and indolent oppressors wrapped in the banner of The Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace (also referred to as The Taipings) was irresistible to large number of followers that would eventually swell to almost 300,000. Hong proclaimed himself King and appointed five sub-kings, one of whom was an accomplished military commander, and in 1853, the rebel kingdom captured Nanjing, which was made the movement’s headquarters. The Taipings new order called for equitable distribution of land and goods as well as equality for women, and especially the end of concubinage and foot binding.

The Qing Empire Suppresses The Taiping Rebels

Early in the rebellion, Qing troops were ineffective against the growing army of rebels who gained a following in all but two provinces. The lack of tax revenues from those occupied lands coupled with catastrophic flooding of the Huang Ho (Yellow River) hampered the efforts of the dynasty to suppress the rebellion, but soon the tide began to turn. This was due in part to western fire power, but the alienation of the scholar/gentry class because of the movement’s policy concerning personal property also played a part. Because of this, the rebels lacked educated leaders who could administer civil governments in the occupied cities and provinces. Landowners also took issue with the concept of redistribution of acreage. The rebels lacked a cavalry, and therefore mobility, and ultimately were no match for Empire forces armed and trained by the west, who watched the proceedings from the sidelines until they felt Shanghai and their own interests were threatened.

The Taiping Rebellion Fails

In 1862, a combined Qing and French and English force was mustered, and by 1864, Nanjing was recaptured. Dissention among the Kings of the Taipings, who, contrary to policy, kept harems and lived in luxury weakend the movement which was no match for the combined Empire and European force. Hong Xiuquan took poison, and the rebellion ended. The rebellion had cost China twenty million in casualties and ultimately accomplished nothing but to demonstrate how easy it might be to topple the Dynasty. It is thought that the Taiping rebellion, with its philosophy of social order, rejection of Confucian values, and admiration of discipline and hard work for a higher destiny laid the groundwork for the Communist movement that would make its appearance in 1921.

The Taipings were only one of the groups staging rebellion against the Dynasty. The Nian Rebellion in the north and revolts by Muslims in the northwest and southwest made the years 1853 to 1873 difficult ones for the Empire, however ones the flames of rebellion were extinguished, the Qing Dynasty experienced what would be considered a brief rebirth.

-Reference note by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.

References:

Morton, W. Scott & Lewis, Charlton M.; China Its History and Culture C 2005 McGraw- Hill Inc NY.

Gascoigne, Bamber; The Dynasties of China c2003 (earlier ed 1973) Carroll & Graff (Avalon ) NY.

Dillon, Michael (ed); China A Cultural and Historical Dictionary c1998 Curzon Press, UK.