Davidson's Glass from
The Glass Encyclopedia

George Davidson founded one of the most successful and prolific glass factories in England. He was a butcher in Low Fell, Gateshead, in the North East of England during the 1850's and 1860's. In 1867, at the age of 45, he decided that there was such a shortage of oil lamp chimneys he would build a glass factory in the nearby Team Valley.

Initially very successful, they went on to make a wide range of pressed glass table-ware, imitating the popular cut crystal designs in clear pressed glass. During the 1880's Davidson's, along with several other glass factories, also made glass to look like porcelein (termed vitro-porcelein) usually in opaque white and opaque blue.They also made glass to look like marble, and termed it "marble vitro-porcelein" (or sometimes marble glass or Malachite glass).

In 1889 Davidson's introduced one of their most popular and successful lines, a colouring which they called "Pearline". It was only made in two colours, blue and lemon yellow, each with a white edge. The celery vase pictured top left is Davidson's lemon pearline. It is sometimes called "Vaseline glass" by collectors, and glows in ultra-violet light because of the uranium content.