Dithridge & Co. Cathedral Panel Vaseline Green S&P Shakers

I spotted this pair of Cathedral Panel shakers on eBay and was determined to get at least a pair in Vaseline since I have about fifteen other colors in this pattern already. When they arrived, much to my surprise, they were iridized!

The iridescence is hard to capture due to the very light and delicate pastel nature, but trust me! They are beautiful. They made my month!

Shown also are the rest of the colors I have in slag and opaque glass, all from the Victorian Era.

This was a small article that I wrote for the West Virginia Museum of American Glass for the All About Glass magazine.

Observations about Dithridge& Company's Cathedral Panel

By Scott Beale

I love collecting shakers that have a wide range of colors. It's a challenge to seek out all the different colors and shades a pattern has to offer. Dithridge & Company's Cathedral Panel is no exception. Ditheridge & Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania operated there between the years of 1863 to 1903 when it merged into the Pittsburgh Lamp, Brass and Glass Company. As you can see, this pattern comes in a wide range of colors and shades.The pattern is rather interesting too. It has element of a stylized Fleur de Lis pattern and a repeat (6 total) pattern of a smooth leaf-shaped pattern. I am sure that is where the pattern name was driven from, much like the tops of cathedral windows.

The colors I've seen are pictured and include white (milk glass), custard, green (in  various shades), blue (in various shades), Vaseline, pink, and variegated pink.

I'm sure that other colors do exist. I have a most interesting Vaseline set with an iridescent Carnival Glass finish. Perhaps there are other similar pieces in this pattern out there somewhere. It leads one to wonder where they came from and did Dithridge produce the iridized pieces or were they iridized later in life.

I find the blue pieces the most interesting because they come in a number of different shades. The dark blue is my favorite! The shaker measures 3 1/8 inches tall and just shy of 2 inches at its widest point.They take a pretty standard top.

I've only seen the salt and pepper shakers to this date. I'm not aware of any mustard jar nor sugar shaker. In my experience, you do not see these shakers too often, and when they are found it's typically white or pink. I will continue to look for that next big unknown color!

In conclusion, I would like to add that with all of the rare shakers, one may be lucky enough to find one. I find that some of the more available shakers like this pattern, as well as others, are the most fun to collect. It's simply because of the variety of color that one can assemble with some digging and patience. Makers such as Dithridge, Consolidated, and Challinor, Taylor & Co. offer some really fun stuff to collect!

The Scott Beale Collection