Object Record
Images
Metadata
Collection |
Waterloo Region Museum |
Object ID |
2010.076.001 |
Object Name |
Ornament, Christmas Tree |
Description |
Christmas treetop spike in original box. The ornament is made of free-blown mercury glass. There are three indented balls of various sizes stacked on top of one another, largest to smallest. There is a long tapering pike at the end. Each ball has three indents and painted decoration applied by hand. The largest ball has pink paint in the indents and white stripes surrounding it on either side. The middle ball has yellow paint in the indents and pink and white stripes on either side. The smallest ball has pink paint in the indents and blue and white stripes on either side. The end of the spike is hollow and is attached to a wooden base. The base is covered in shiny blue paper. The ornament rests within its original corrugated cardboard box. The box has four flaps on the top which open. There is brown adhesive tape on the flaps; fabric tape on the right corner. There are two stamps on the top of the box. One is oval in shape with "Superior Box Co/Waterloo Ontario Canada/Certificate of Box Make Up../Resistance 200 pounds/Dimension Limited 75 square inches/Gross Wt Limit 65 pounds". Second stamp below the first is rectangular in shape with "Alternative/Dimension Limits 87 98 110 ---/Gross Wt Limit 55 45 35 25 pounds". Printed in pencil on one end of the box is "13 X Glass/Orn". There are two cardboard inserts inside to hold the ornament in place. |
Date |
1949 |
Date |
1951 |
Dimensions |
H-88 cm |
History |
According to the donor, this Christmas tree topper was made by Crystella of Kitchener, ON. The company was in operation from 1949-1951, and the ornaments were sold through the T. Eaton Company under the Crystella name. The company was located in the old Bergmans store at Frederick and Duke streets in Kitchener. Inge Sherk and her family brought the glassblower, Heinz Demmler, over from Germany in 1948. After 1951, he moved to Kingston, ON and taught scientific glass blowing. The ornament was used by a local florist. The Superior Box Company was located on William Street in Waterloo. According to a 1956 promotional brochure for Waterloo, the company made "boxes, corrugated shipping cases, folding & set-up paper boxes". |
Search Terms |
Crystella Superior Box Company |
People |
Demmler, Heinz |