Czechoslovakian Bottles

The high quality of Bohemian made bottles captured the attention of French, German, and American companies who were looking for beautiful examples to match up with their own hardware. Bohemian crystal was renowned the world over for its innovative styles of glass making, cutting and decorating. Many bottles were decorated with delicate hand enameled designs and accented with gilding. Other bottles had striking cut to clear variations. And some bottles displayed wonderful plays of color from special techniques in the glass which gave them a spattered or marbled effect.

The Czechs also created a special type of cased glass which they referred to as double crystal. This style employed a layer of clear glass overtop of a colored glass to create a glowing like effect.Some of the more popular glass solid colors from this time period are tango orange, green, red, turquoise blue and black. The marbled or spattered effect could have up to 5 or six different colors all mixed up into one bottle, often times the bottles were given a final bath in acid to create a satinized finish.

As far as I know some of the colored glass bottles were Loetz blanks with decoration applied from other firms such as Karl Palda and Carl Hosch, so you will often see the same exact bottle shape and color being used by different decorating studios.

The Czechs manufactured some of their own hardware for their bottles. This hardware came in many similar styles of the day like the round ball shapes, aerodynamic spouts (beak shapes), and other shapes.

Like DeVilbiss, the Czech companies also created a metal acorn style top. They also had what I call a “jewel top”, it is similar to the acorn bottle hardware for DeVilbiss, but it is quite distinct in the fact that it is a faceted glass jewel, instead of an acorn like cabochon. The collars of the atomizers often times had floral engraved designs, geometric motifs, or a beaded edge. The collars are affixed on the bottles using a plaster type adhesive. You can reattach a collar using dental plaster.

The companies who purchased Czech bottles were Marcel Franck, DeVilbiss, Irving Rice, Ingrid, the Mignon Corp, Volupte, Aristo, Erelbe, Gironde and Pyramid.

Of honorable mention are the German & Austrian marked bottles. These flacons probably imported from Czechoslovakia and hardware then added inprobably imported from Czechoslovakia and hardware then added in Germany, the hardware will be marked Germany or Tcechoslovakie. Austrian bottles may have also been imported from Czechoslovakia and hardware or final finishing would be added in Austria. Pieces will be marked Austria or made in Austria. Many of these bottles have the same type of ormolu filigree or mountings as the Czech pieces often set with glass jewels.

You will undoubtedly see plenty of Czech bottles with French hardware, like the ones below.

Moser Glassworks

Moser Glassworks, Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), Czechoslovakia (1857 - )

Previously Ludwig Moser & Sohne. Ludwig Moser, initially a refiner only. Manufactured glass from 1893. Johann F Hoffman (1873), Josef Hoffman (c 1920), Wolfgang Wersin, Alexander Pfohl (1920s). Company bankrupt 1933, but survived and nationalised after World War II. Lubos Metelak (1962)

Heavy crystal flacons often with gilded Neo-Classical friezes were offered by the prestigious glass firm of Ludwig Moser & Son. It is possible to find matching vanity items to go along with your atomizer. Pieces are almost always signed Moser, but as is the occasion, some of the pieces aren't signed, only one of two pieces in a large vanity would be signed. Moser specialized in gilded friezes and intaglio decoration.

Heinrich Hoffmann & Ingrid

The firm of Hoffman was established in 1867 by Franz Hoffmann in Jablonec, Czechoslovakia. In 1900, his son took over the business and produced high quality pressed glassware.

He improved upon the old Lithyalin glass and managed to produce gorgeous marbled opaque glass bottles in colors of malachite, lapis, coral and other colors.

Many of these bottles are very Art Deco in their styling and mainly featured nudes, cherubs, flowers and other fanciful designs.

Hoffman’s son in law, HG.Curt Schlevogt created the Ingrid firm in 1934 which borrowed molds from Hoffmann and named his company after his daughter.

The atomizers were made as companions to perfume flacons and powder jars in the 1920s-1930s. Hoffmann bottles are marked with a small butterfly somewhere on the bottle.

 

Brüder Rachmann

Bruder Rachmann of Haida, Bohemia claimed to be the oldest factory for perfume atomizers, having been founded in 1874 manufacturing both the glass and the hardware.

Great-Glass-UK notes that "Wilhelm Rachmann (1846-1916) & his brother Heinrich in Langenau, Bohemia (moved to Haida 1884). Produced or refined atomizers, toilet sets & fancy boxes, often with metal trims that they produced themselves. Expanded under founders' sons Wilhelm (1882-1943) and Bruno (c 1885-1938), until they split in 1932, Bruno taking the metalworks. Wilhelm founded his own metalworks in 1936. After his death, the company was run by his widow & four daughters until 1945, when it was expropriated by the state, without compensation, and the family evicted."

They first produced atomizers during the late Victorian era and then started producing piston pump style travel atomizers using high quality glass around 1910-1920. One of their patented bottles was known as "La Coquette", from around 1918-1920, the other was the unique circular "Universal" which won a Gold Medal at the International Hygiene Exhibition (a World's Fair) in Dresden in 1911. Later bottles were of the streamlined late Art Deco style in the 1930s. Imported into the USA by Morana, Inc.

(image from 1931-1932 directory, photo from https://pressglas-korrespondenz.de/)

Also to be noted is the firm produced beautiful vases.

The atomizer hardware could be found made of nickel plated white metal, silver plate, gold plate and solid sterling silver.

Rachmann was issued several patent for their atomizers:

• FR376070 - 1907-07-30
• FR376462 - 1907-08-10
• FR9249 - 1908-09-17
• FR399925 - 1909-07-10
• FR436874 - 1912-04-06

A trade catalog from 1918-1920 displayed various atomizers in clear and colored glass, some of which are cut, others were hand painted. A catalog page illustrates boxed perfume spray and covered jar sets.

Their BR and man's head wearing a winged hat logo can be found either molded into the base of the bottle in earlier bottles or on the hardware for the travel atomizers. 

Logo for the metalworks division

Johann Umann:

Located in Tiefenbach a, d. Desse, Czechoslovakia. Imported into the USA by Morana, Inc.

Czechoslovakian bottles have “Made in Czecho-Slovakia” or 

“Tchecoslovaqiue” on the hardware collars  or acid etched on the base, some bottles have no identifiable markings but most of the time, the bottles are recognizable. The Czech bottles were a favorite of the French, as I have seen many Czech blanks with hardware that is stamped Made in France. These Czech blanks may have been undecorated and were finished at the French decorating firms.  Irving Rice was a major importer of Czechoslovakian perfume bottles of all sizes, shapes and colors,  these objects would also be marked with a foiled Irice sticker.

Palda:

As far as I know the colored glass bottles were Loetz glass blanks with decoration applied from other firms such as Karl Palda and Carl Hosch.

Vogel & Zappe:

Located at Jablonec nad Nisou.

Franz Joseph Vater:

c1926. image: Pressglas-Korrespondenz 

c1926. image: Pressglas-Korrespondenz 

Carl Hosch of Novy Bor:

As far as I know these were Loetz glass blanks with decoration applied from other firms such as the export firm Carl Hosch.

Franz Welten: