Vaseline Glass

Also known as uranium glass, Vaseline glass has a yellow or yellow-green tinge with an oily sheen when viewed under natural or indoor light. Uranium glass had uranium oxide added to a glass mix before melting for coloration. Vaseline glass is transparent or translucent and should not be confused with Custard glass or Burmese glass which also contains uranium oxide, but is opaque. Popular uranium glass styles range from Victorian to Art Deco. Glass containing uranium is easily identified by viewing it under ultraviolet light (also known as black light) where it will glow a brilliant green.

Production of uranium glass was most popular from about 1840 through World War I. Around 1943, the U.S. government halted the production of Vaseline glass altogether when uranium became a heavily regulated substance. In 1958, uranium oxide was deregulated, and the production of uranium glass resumed. This time, however, producers used depleted uranium in place of more radioactive natural uranium.

During the Great Depression, manufactures added iron oxide (rust) to the uranium glass formula to give it a greener look. Carnival glass was also produced in some uranium glass varieties which gave it a marigold, iridescent look. Glass purists usually exclude this Depression glass and Carnival glass from the Vaseline glass family.

Practically since its invention, uranium glass carried a bad reputation because it was thought to be a health hazard. Usually Vaseline glass pieces contained from just a trace to about 2% uranium by weight. However, some pieces from the beginning of the 20^th century were up to 25% uranium by weight. The U. S. Nuclear Regulation Commission studied the health risks of Vaseline glass in its 2001 report. The report confirmed what collectors had been saying all along. The radiation from Vaseline glass is less harmful than the background radiation levels we are exposed to every day.

This week at Prairie Museum of Art and History, Mike Weed, our maintenance guy, added an ultraviolet light to our Vaseline glass exhibit case. This new feature allows a visitor to switch the lighting between normal indoor light and ultraviolet light to observe the resulting bright green glow of the uranium.  

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Normal indoor lighting. 

 Brilliant green glow resulting from ultraviolet lighting.

Art Meets History

On display now through February at Prairie Museum of Art & History is an incredible exhibit of student artwork from Colby High School.

Mrs. Starbuck's assignment for her sophomore art students was to use an artifact as the starting point for their artwork. Beginning last fall, the students were asked to select artifacts from the collection at Prairie Museum's collection that they found interesting. Some students worked from photographs the instructor had taken. Other students visited the museum and with the help of the registrar and the education director set up their own photo shoot. The students then returned to the classroom and created their art. The resulting artworks are now on exhibit at the museum along with some of the artifacts that inspired the artists.

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This temporary display case holds some of the artifacts used to inspire the artworks. Other larger objects are displayed alongside the art.

 

These are just a random sample as a 'teaser' of the work of Mrs. Starbuck's students. Be sure to stop at the museum during the next few weeks to see the entire exhibit on display in the Garvey Education Room. It is free and open during our regular hours.

Also on exhibit are city-state models created for a World History Class at Colby High School taught by Mr. Williams. This is another example of how history and art go hand in hand in the learning process.

Amazing Armadillos

Prairie Museum of Art and History is getting off to a great start in 2016.

Our January lobby exhibit is an awesome collection of about 115 armadillos of all descriptions and sizes on loan to us from Karen Dilts of Colby.

Karen's collection started 47 years ago when she married into a family of notorious collectors. When Karen was asked what she collected, she thought if she ever collected anything it would be something no one could ever find. Her answer was armadillos since her mother came from Texas. Thereafter, her family and the Dilts have gone out of their way to find armadillos for her.

The exhibit includes nearly everything armadillo. There are puppets, figurines, jewelry, plush stuffed toys, bobble-heads, books, puzzles, cartoons, yard art and much more.

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This hand-puppet was the beginning of Karen's collection. The most recent addition is a small crocheted finger-puppet.

 

Armadillo facts:

Armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one."

Nine-banded armadillos weigh from 2 to 20 pounds, have short legs, big ears and a ringed tail almost as long as their body.

Armadillos search for food by rooting in the ground. Their stout claws are great diggers and they often damage lawns and gardens while searching for insects - their main diet.

Armadillos can be found from Texas, along the southern tier of states to Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and northward into Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and even Kansas.

During the Great Depression armadillos were known as "Hoover hogs" because they were eaten instead of the "chicken in every pot" as President Herbert Hoover promised.

Armadillos often end up as road kill because of their habit of jumping up in the air when startled. Not a good plan when being approached by a moving vehicle! 


As always there is no admission to see the lobby exhibit, view the art in the Garvey Education Room, or shop the Museum Mart. Stop at Prairie Museum of Art and History to see what's new for 2016.