At a Friends of the Library bookstore, I discovered this 1st edition, autographed, 1940 copy of Old Glass Paperweights, by Evangeline H. Bergstrom and was intrigued. The description reads, "This book covers all elements of the art of paperweights in all countries. Of special importance to collectors are the information and guidance that enable them to identify valuable pieces and to detect frauds, imitations, faulty and worthless weights." This is one of those times when I had to proclaim, "I had no idea!"
The author’s love of paperweights began as a child. She was born in Ithaca, NY on May 23, 1872 and was the only child of Dr. and Mrs. George W. Hoysradt. During visits to her grandmother’s home, a paperweight on a table in the parlor often held her attention (oh for those days, again). Being able to look at the weight served as young Evangeline’s reward for practicing her piano lesson or reciting a poem. She spent much time studying the beautiful patterns and colors.
Years later, after her grandmother had passed and the family was disassembling the home, Mrs. Bergstrom searched for the paperweight as the one item she desired as a remembrance of her grandmother. Unfortunately, the weight was lost, but she never forgot it.
In 1935, during a winter visit to St. Petersburg, FL, Mrs. Bergstrom was on her way to a stamp exhibition (I like her already) when she noticed a sign for an antique show. She ventured in and discovered a weight similar to the one her grandmother owned. It was marked with a B and an 1847 date, which later she learned stood for Baccarat. She purchased the Baccarat weight and one other. She was 63 years old, and from that time on she acquired any weight that attracted her.
"It does not matter whether your collection of weights is large or small. You derived a certain amount of pleasure in possessing it, from learning the history of each piece, and from intimate contact with things that are beautiful. The interest increases with time, and the individual old glass paperweights carry with them the mystery and magic inherited from days long gone." -Evangeline H. Bergstrom
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