IMPROVE- MENTS APPLICABLE TO THE ORNAMENTATION OR DECORATION OF ARTICLES OF FURNITURE, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED FOR ARCHI- TECTURAL ORNAMENTATION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Charles March, of St. James' Palace, in
the City of Westminster, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS APPLICABLE TO THE ORNAMENTATION OR DECORATION OF ARTICLES OF
FURNITURE, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED FOR ARCHI-
TECTURAL ORNAMENTATION."
Sealed the 8th December 1863, and dated the 12th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Charles March at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1863.
I, THOMAS CHARLES MARCH, of St. James' Palace, in the City of West-
minster, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE ORNAMENTATION OR DECORATION OF ARTICLES
OF FURNITURE, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED FOR ARCHI-
TECTURAL ORNAMENTATION," to be as follows:-
My Invention of "Improvements applicable to the Ornamentation or Decora-
tion of Articles of Furniture, part of which Improvements may also be applied
for Architectural Ornamentation," relates, first, to a novel mode of employing
glass in combination with metal, wood, or other suitable material for the
manufacture of tables, flower stands, and other articles of furniture.
In carrying out this part of my Invention the glass portions of the articles
are made in separate pieces, which are slightly connected by wire, pins, sockets,
or otherwise to a metal or other framework which forms the body of the
article. The framework if of metal may be made light and slender, and may
be lacquered or electro-plated, so as not to detract from the brilliancy of the

page_text: glass portions. This metal framework will take the major portion of the
strain and weight of the article and will also act as a shield or guard to the
glass portions. The sockets or other parts which receive the ends of the glass
portions or columns may be provided with india-rubber or other washers, so
as to prevent any jar from injuring the more brittle-material. In order to
give great brilliancy, I prefer to make the legs or supports of such articles as
tables, flower stands, and such like articles of continuous glass beading or of
lengths of twisted or fluted glass rod. The glass portions may easily be bent
while hot into the desired shape, according to the part of the article to which
they are to be applied. The upper part of tables may be made flat and of
glass or dish shaped to receive flowers, and may be fixed or cemented into
a metal or other socket at the top of the pillar or central column.
The second part of my Invention consists in employing 'glass beading of any
desired pattern in place, of ordinary moulding for ornamenting door panels,
wainscoting, looking glass, or other articles of furniture, or for ornamenting
window frames or other parts of houses, for any of which purposes the glass
beading or moulding may be bent into any required shape while hot, and
secured in their places by cementing or otherwise. The glass. moulding or
beading may be made in any convenient lengths, and may also be combined in
various ways according to taste, and employed to produce ornamental brackets,
what-nots, hanging baskets, and other ornaments for rooms. I would observe.
than whenever transparent glass is employed it will be objectionable to pass
any metal or other supporting material through the glass, as the appearance
will be much spoiled by the supporting material shewing through; but I also
propose for ornamenting purposes to use pieces or short lengths of opaque
glass, porcelain, or earthenware, through which holes may be made, so as to
string a number of pieces on wires or rods, and combined so as to produce
various patterns or articles. By this means.arches, cornices, mouldings,
window edgings, or panellings may be made with facility, whereas such articles
could not be conveniently produced in one piece...
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Charles March in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CHARLES MARCH, of Saint James' Palace, 'in the City of Westminster; Gentle-
man, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent; bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Charles March, Her special license that I, the said Thomas
Charles March, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Charles March, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO THE ORNAMENTATION OR DECORATION OF
ARTICLES OF FURNITURE, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS MAY ALSO BE APPLIED FOR
ARCHITECTURAL ORNAMENTATION," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Thomas Charles March, by an instrument in writing, under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas, Charles March, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,.
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements applicable to the Ornamentation or
Decoration of Articles of Furniture, part of which Improvements may also
be applied for Architectural Ornamentation, relates, first, to a novel mode
of employing glass in combination with metal, wood, or other suitable material
for the manufacture of tables, flower stands, and other articles of furniture.
In carrying out this part of my Invention the glass portions of the articles,
such as columns, feet, and other parts, are made in separate pieces, which are
connected by means of wire, pins, sockets, or other attachments to a metal or
other framework, which carries the major part of the strain and weight of the
article, and which, at the same time that it shields the glass portions or some
of them, also gives the means of connecting the separate pieces together, so as
to produce the effect of a nearly continuous outline of glass. In order that
the framework may be subordinate in effect, and detract as little as possible
from the transparency of the glass portions,. I prefer to make such framework

page_text: of metal, which may be plated, tinned, lacquered, or japanned, and I am able
to make the framework light and slender, because sufficient weight and
equilibrium are afforded by the glass portions, which I prefer to make solid,
both on that account and to secure the greatest amount of brilliancy.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn several views of tables, flower
stands, and parts of such and other articles constructed according to my
Invention.
Fig. 1 represents a tripod table or stand to hold flowers; Fig. 2 is another
form of table, differing somewhat in construction from Fig. 1, but involving
the same principle of construction.
In Fig. 1. the top or upper part is supported mainly by three light metal
columns a, a, a, which are soldered at top and bottom into the sockets of two
plates b, b¹, which are shewn detached in elevation and plan drawn upon an
enlarged scale at Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, and for the table shewn at Fig. 2 at
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6. On the upper ring or plate 6 the top of a table
may be secured, or when required a removeable dish c, of glass or other
material, to contain flowers or other natural or artificial ornaments may be
placed. This dish is provided with a peg, which is made to drop so far within
the ring or plate b, and below it, as just to rest over and lightly touch the glass
column d, which is placed in the centre between the metal columns a, a, a.
The central glass column d is fastened in sockets in the metal plates b, b¹,
which support it in the centre and just below the peg of the dish. The feet
of the table or stand are formed of lengths of glass beading, bent whilst hot
over an iron form, so as to follow the shape of the metal feet, as shewn at fin
Figures 1 and 2. The glass beading for the feet is fastened to the ironwork
in any convenient manner; in Fig. 2 it is secured in two or more places
with wire, but pins or other means of attachment may be employed if pre-
ferred. It will be seen on referring to Figures 1 and 2, that the glass feet are
so fastened that they do not absolutely touch the ground, or they may be
made to rest upon some elastic substance f', as shewn in the detached views,
Fig. 2b, so as to obviate the risk of breakage from sudden jar. The metal
feet are soldered to a ring or plate (Figures 5 and 5), which has screw
holes, corresponding with screw holes in the bottom ring or plate b¹ of the
column piece, so that by the aid of screws the column plate 6 and the foot
piece g may be tightly secured together, but so that they may be completely
separated at pleasure. This arrangement will be found convenient for
removing and packing such articles with safety and convenience. The three
feet or legs of the table or stand may be connected by wire or metal pieces g²

page_text: below, so as to act as stretchers to hold them together. The joints or
junctions of the parts may be covered with rosettes k, or other suitable
ornaments, as shewn at Figures 2, 2b, and 2°. I frequently place a lower dish
with flowers therein at the bottom of the stand on the stretchers, as shewn in
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 represents a somewhat similar table, but in this example the metal
columns a, a, of Fig. 1 are absent; the upper part of the table is supported
by three glass rods d', d', d¹, fastened by cement or plaster into upper and
lower socket pieces or plates b, 61, which I prefer to make of metal. The
upper socket plate has a hole in the centre, into which drops the peg of the
dish c, and the lower socket plate 6¹ has a screw and nut for connecting or
disconnecting this piece from the foot piece 9, as before explained, and is
clearly shewn in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6ª; an ornamental ring of glass h may
be employed to conceal the socketing of the legs or feet to the central pillar,
as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. It will be obvious that, if desired, a central
glass column may be combined with the glass rods d', as in Fig. 1. I would
also observe that, as I do not generally propose the central column to take
any of the weight of the table, this column may be composed of a number
of loose balls piled one on the other, and supported in this position by the
outside rods.
;
The glass employed for the purposes of my Invention' may consist of rods or
tubes of any known pattern or color, or a combination of such rods and tubes
and the rods or tubes may be either straight or bent into curves. The dish c
or upper part of the tables, may be made of glass, metal, earthenware, or other
material, and instead of having a peg it may be fastened to the column portion
by a screw or other convenient attachment.
Instead of glass rods made in one piece, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, I
sometimes, in making such tables as I have described, make use of beads or
balls of fluted transparent glass, or of opaque or colored glass, or of porcelain
or earthenware, and I pass these beads or balls over a metal column 'strong
enough to support a dish or flat table. Fig. 7 represents a series of glass
balls strung on a stiff metal rod or tube in this manner, to form a supporting
column, such as those shewn at d and d', Figures 1 and 2.".
The second part of my Invention relates to the production of ornamental
beadings or mouldings of glass, and which may be applied in place of ordinary
mouldings for ornamenting the internal and external parts of rooms and houses
or conservatories, and for making or enriching articles of furniture.
One mode of producing the glass beading or moulding consists in the

page_text: employment of a number of separate pieces or knobs of glass usually solid and
transparent, and provided with shanks or projecting, studs, whereby they may
be secured by means of plaster, cement, white lead, or otherwise into lengths
of framework of wood, metal, or other suitable substance, in which holes,
tubes, or grooves are constructed to admit the shanks of the glass knobs.
Figures 8, 9, 9, 10, and 10" represent different modes of producing my
improved ornamental glass moulding. In Fig. 8 the glass knobs, are con
nected together in a row by means of wire worked or twisted round their
shanks, so that the lengths may be bent or curved round to follow the contour
of any article of furniture. In Fig. 9 the knobs are secured by cementing or
otherwise between two glass or metal rods, as shewn in the cross section Fig. 9
A series of these knobs may also be secured in sockets cast in a rigid bar or
framework, or a series of sockets may be connected together by thin sheet
metal, so that a length of beading thus formed may be bent round into any
suitable form. I prefer to make the bar or framework light and bright, so
as to detract as little as possible from the brilliancy of the glass, and in all
positions where I can shew to advantage the transparency of the glass, I am
careful not to cover up the end of the glass shank through which the light
may be admitted to the. whole knob; but when the beading is placed against
an object which prevents the transmission of light, I sometimes silver the end
of the shank, and thereby increase the brilliancy of the beading. Instead of
employing separate knobs to form the beading or moulding, I sometimes form
a beading by forcing melted glass into a mould of proper form. By this means
beading with a flat back, which may be secured by cement or suitable frame-
work on the article to be ornamented, may be produced, as shewn in Figures
10 and 10°. Although a framework as before described is in many instances
very convenient, the glass knobs may be inserted into sockets in any part of
the existing material of houses, such as wood, marble, stone, composition, or
metal, so as to form a glass beading.
Fig. 11 represents part of a door ornamented by beadings formed of glass
knobs,, which may either be inserted into holes made in the wood or beading,
or mouldings of suitable dimensions may be. previously prepared, and after-
wards secured on the panels, as shewn in the Figure 11. The glass knobs
may be combined into various patterns, either with or without a separate
framework, so as to form beadings of different shapes and colors, with which
rooms of houses may be ornamented by carrying the beading round in the
shape of moulding or cornices, or by attaching the beading or knobs to
chimney pieces and window frames, and to the metal
work of stoves and

page_text: grates, and I use them as an ornament in external architecture generally, and
I also use the glass knobs to enrich or ornament articles of furniture, and more
especially to make ornamental frames for looking glasses and for fire screens.
Fig. 12 is a front view, Fig. 12ª an edge view, and Fig. 12b a section,
showing a mode for ornamenting the frame of a looking glass or fire screens.
i, i, are the glass knobs, which are secured by their shanks in holes made in
the wooden frame; j, j, are glass or metal rods which extend round the frame,
and between which rods the glass knobs are placed, as shewn in the Drawing.
An ornamental moulding of glass may also be produced by combining two,
three, or more rods of glass together, as shewn in Fig. 13. In order to pro-
duce a pattern, and also to hide the joints, I cover up the latter by means of
rosettes, stars, or other small ornaments of glass or metal, as at k*, k*, which
may be secured thereon by cement, or in any other convenient manner. A
very brilliant effect may be produced by causing short lengths of round glass
rod to cross each other at right angles, as shewn at Fig. 14. A number of
these crosses mounted on a suitable groundwork may be arranged together in
a row, so as to produce a very brilliant moulding suitable for architectural
decorations, or for making ornamental basketwork.
I also propose to ornament looking glasses, mirrors, or other glass surfaces
by cementing a number of semicircular or other suitably shaped glass knobs
or pieces on to the glass. The reflection from the glass will materially add to
the effect.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Charles March, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
PAR
T. C. MARCH.
(L.B.)