Two Antique Bells

Here are two of my more whimsical items. A pair of antique service-bells:





The first bell was a cheap buy at a junk-shop ($4!!). The second one I found at the local flea-market. My guess is that they're from about 1870-1900. I've done a lot of research and I've never found any bells of these styles which dated beyond the end of the Victorian era, or the start of the Edwardian era.

They sound very pretty when they're rung.

 

I really like the first bell -- one question though -- does it sit crank-sided or does it just look that way in the photo?

 

Does it do what?

 

it looks like it's leaning to one side...

 

Aah. The bell is SUPPOSED to stand upright, but the base on that one is a bit bent. So yes, it might look a bit off-center. But it's supposed to be level.

The second bell is slanted, but that's done deliberately (otherwise the clapper gets in the way).

 

Bradley & Hubbard's 1883-1884 catalog has 10 pages of call bells. Page 220 has "Call Bells with Springs" with a couple of them nearly identical to your 1st one. #200 has the same base, stem, and bowl, but different finials on top of the bowl and on top of the clapper. #1100 has the same base and stem mounted on what appears to be a block of marble. #1181 & #1180 have the same finial on top of the bowl. Gee, I'm not sure if I got the name of the parts right. There are no pages with any like your 2nd one. That one appears later. Going to try to scan the page with the bells. Hope it turns out so you can see the details.

Here's the reprint of the catalog that I have:
http://www.sirlampsalot.com/vol-1--bradley-and-hubbard-1883.html

--- Susan

 

Just looked at my other reprints of lamp catalogs. The J.C. Ives Patent Lamp Company c1872 catalog, reprinted, is in Five Early Victorian Kerosene Lighting Catalogs, Volume 2 - Historical Lighting Reprints, Compiled by David Broughton, p. 45, has some of the same bells as pictured in the B & H catalog. Their #200 is like the #200 in B & H, but may have the same finials on the bowl and clapper as yours?? Who made them, I don't know. Did B & H make them and sell them to other companies, did Ives make them and sell to others, or did a 3rd party make them???? Ives titles them "Silver Plated Call Bells." Will try a scan of them; however, as the pics are small, the details will be hard to see. Anyways, with this catalog dated c1872, pushes the possible timeframe back nearly 10 years.

The Five Early Victorian Kerosene Lighting Catalogs:
http://www.sirlampsalot.com/vol-2---five-early-catalogs.html

--- Susan

 

Those are sweet! And some of the old bells have the nicest sounding dings!

 

Thanks for the replies! At least that confirms my suspicions of when it was made. 1870s-1880s.

The second bell I would date to around 1880-1910/20. But no later than that. I've seen no examples online which go any further forward than the Edwardian era.