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Famille verte: A colorful Chinese porcelain

“Famille verte” is a term collectors use for a popular style of Chinese porcelain. If you speak French (the term was coined by French collector Albert Jacquemart in the 1860s), you know it means “green family.” It refers to a type of porcelain decorated with multicolor enamel, called wucai, or “five-color” in Chinese, where green is the dominant color. In Chinese, it is usually called Kangxi wucai because it was developed during the reign of the Kangxi emperor of the Qing dynasty, who ruled from 1661 to 1722. It experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 19th century, when ...

Venini leads the competition in Venetian Glass

Venetian glass has been prized since the 13th century, but it has never been stuck in the past. The Venini glass factory in Murano has been at the forefront of modern design since it was founded in 1921. It also brought in talent from other parts of Europe. In 1936, Paolo Venini hired the company’s first freelance designer, Tyra Lundgren. She was also the first woman to design for the company. Like many modern designers, Lundgren worked in several media, including ceramics and textiles. By the time Paolo Venini met her, she had years of experience designing glassware for major ...

New books from the nonfiction shelf

I picked out a few books from the new shelf in the nonfiction area to talk about today. If your spring break plans include a trip somewhere warmer, be sure to check out the following new books. DK Caribbean (917.2904 Caribbe 2024) Fodor’s Travel: Essential Hawaii (919.6904 Fodors 2025) The Unofficial Guide: Walt Disney World 2025: Save time in line, score a spot on the newest rides, and get the most for your money (917.5924 Unoffic 2025) Travel Hacks: Any Procedures or Actions that Solve a Problem, Simplify a Task, Reduce Frustration, and Make your Next Trip as Awesome as ...

Bandy the advertising doll garners attention

Promotional toys have been a popular form of advertising for a long time. The doll pictured here is Bandy, an advertising mascot created for General Electric in the 1920s. General Electric had many other advertising toys, including the Hotpoint doll and a circus set. Bandy promoted their radios; his name comes from the “big band” jazz music that was popular at the time, even if his colorful uniform and tall hat, which undoubtedly helped catch customers’ attention, might be a better fit for leading a marching band. This example, complete with his baton, sold for $504 at Donley ...

Recent Reads

Here are few of my favorite recent reads. Library staff would be happy to help you place requests on these or any other titles. If you’d like to place your own request, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog. May, Kelsey, and Lauren are meeting up in the Hamptons for a long-awaited girls’ trip. When they’re cut off in traffic, Kelsey leaves a prank note on the offending couple’s car windshield: “He cheated. He always does.” But a few days later the same man from the couple goes missing and their girls’ trip goes sideways. Each of them has been hiding ...

French vase features unique flower design

The Daum glass factory of Nancy, France, is famous for its cameo glass, but that isn’t the only kind it made. When Jean Daum founded the factory in 1875, he made cut and enameled glass. His sons Auguste and Antonin started an art glass department in 1885, adapting to the art glass movement and art nouveau style of the time. The company started making more ornate types of glass like cameo glass and pate-de-verre. These were very old techniques, but newly popular as they experienced a resurgence in the 19th century. Pate-de-verre was made in ancient Egypt. The term means “glass ...