Teardrop Flower or Northwood’s Woggle Bug
In the Northwood book, “Harry Northwood, The Wheeling Years”, the authors, James Measel, William Heacock, and Barry Wiggins, speculated that the pattern known as Teardrop Flower could be the pattern called Woggle Bug, referred to in an early advertisement. An article in the Glass Collector’s Digest, Vol X, Number 6, p56, April/May 1997 also discussed this and showed more pictures of the pattern.
As a result of this interesting speculation, the following article appeared in “The Pioneer” referencing those comments and pointing out that the shaker to the pattern was named Flower and Bead.
Northwood’s “Woggle Bug” Pattern
Bob & Carole Bruce
All Rights Reserved
The title on this note may be a little misleading as the pattern is “Teardrop Flower” and it was only speculation that it may be the pattern Northwood named “Woggle Bug” (see Harry Northwood, “The Wheeling Years”). It is a relatively unknown pattern, and seems to be rare. The salt shaker seems to be very rare, as it is not pictured in any of the Lechner’s three books.
Heacock noted that Peterson named the pattern “Flower and Bead” in a very rare case where he failed to note that Kamm had previously named the pattern. However it is reasonable for him to have missed it, as the pattern design is limited on the salt shaker and perhaps not that easy to recognize.
The shaker shown is an unusual Northwood color of light green, nearly aqua. The individual sauce dish is a beautiful electric blue. Both decorated with gold. The pattern is pictured in the above reference in green and amethyst, but not blue. We would really like to see a picture of the shaker in blue, amethyst or green. Does anyone have one?
Article Addentum: More on Woggle Bug…
When we wrote the note on Woggle Bug that appeared in the January 2003 issue of the Pioneer, we failed to remember that Jim Measell had written an article on it in the Glass Collector. (Vol. X No. 6, Apr/May 1997). The interested reader is referred to that article as it shows a beautiful Table Set in the Teardrop Flower pattern in blue with a gold decoration. As further note, the Rathbuns sent me a picture of their recently acquired salt shaker in electric blue. It is shown below.