Name/Title
Car bud vase, c. 1920sEntry/Object ID
2021.142.1Description
Acc. No. 21.142.1
Subject Category: Homes of Alameda; Household, decorative
Date or Period: c. 1920s
Object: car bud vase
Description: Machine-made four-sided bud vase with cut-glass pattern toward the top as well as etched flowers on 3 sides, on the lower section, ending in a knob, with a rounded top to prevent splashing, and a chrome-plated square mount, which ends in a support with two screws for a wall mount.
Glass has knicks at the underside at each corner of the smooth band which would have resulted from rough handling. Top curved band is crazed on the inside.
Size vase: L 7.5 inches, size square mount: 2 x 2 inches.
Note: a modern wooden bracket has been fashioned for display by museum volunteer C. Millar, 9/19.
History of Object: Car bud vase, likely manufactured by the Houze Glass Company. The vase was found among the contents of 1315 Fountain Street.
Car bud vases possibly had a practical purpose in countering smells from the leather car upholstery if it got wet, and possibly excess fuel fumes, and may have been modeled after old (horsedrawn) hearse bud vases. They were offered by Ford in his Model T's auto parts catalogs. They would come in pairs to be mounted on the style between the two side windows, or singles, to be mounted on the dashboard.
The Houze Glass Company was started by Leon Houze (president of Federated Glass Company) and his son Roger, after Leon patented a method of making convex glass articles, and they became the supplier of goggles to the military.
Acquired from: unknown
Catalog Date: 12/18/2021
