The Snow Globe
IF you’re decorating your home for the holidays, chances are those decorations include at least one snow globe a sphere of clear plastic or glass containing a miniature scene and filled with liquid that, when shaken, produces the effect of falling snow.
These objects have been fascinating children and adults alike for centuries and in modern times have come to invoke the sense of magic, and of the past, that is so much a part of the holiday spirit. But, where did these beloved objects come from?
No one knows exactly who invented the first snow globe, but its ancestry has been traced to the paperweight.
In the 1800’s, European artists had begun experimenting with glass to produce beautiful objects. These creations were used as paperweights or displayed as works of art. Snow globes made their first documented, public appearance in France at the 1878 Paris Exposition.
These early snow globes were very expensive, unique art objects, and people took notice. At the 1889 Paris Expo, snow globes containing a miniature model of the Eiffel Tower were on sale as souvenirs, and sold out quickly. The snow globes enduring role as a souvenir for just about anything was born.
Snow globes became extremely popular throughout Europe as souvenirs, paperweights, toys, art objects and collectors items.
The American father of the snow globe was an entrepreneur from Pittsburgh, PA., named Joseph Garaja. Garaja invented a way of manufacturing snow globes by screwing the sphere into a base similar to how a lid is screwed onto a jar.
Before Joseph Garaja came along, snow globes were individual works of art hand-crafted by skilled artisans. Garaja had found a way to mass-produce them, manufacturing them in lntion) to make snow globes.
He also came up with a system of producing the snow globes entirely underwater. The first Garaja snow globe featured a scene of a fish swimming among grass at the bottom of a lake.
By the 1950’s, manufacturers had figured out how to make a snow globe out of plastic. The snowflakes are made from variety materials, such as wood or plastic, and the spheres are filled not with water, but with clear, light oil.
Snow globes today are produced all over the world, and come in all shapes and sizes. Some play music or have a motorized fan to circulate the snow. Some are exquisite works of glass art, some are cheap plastic toys. They remain a highly sought after collectors item.
And, at this time of year, few things can conjure up the holiday spirit as quickly as giving a snow globe a good shake and peering into its miniature world to watch the gentle flutter of those tiny snowflakes.
Picture Above: Snow globes are often sold as tourist souvenirs, or as festive decorations.
New York Post, December 15, 2010
Written by: Robin Wallace
