Flowerlites et al
by Viking, Beaumont, and L.E. Smith
Flowerlites has become a catch-all term used for the Viking Flowerlites and Flowerettes, Beaumont Flower Bowls, and L.E. Smith Florettes presented on this page. Note though that the "lite" in Flowerlites comes from the slot designed to hold a candle, and only the Viking Flowerlites have them.
Flowerlites are beautiful, especially with multiple colors displayed together. Inspired by the beautiful photo of Mackenzie De La Cruz's collection, above, I decided to collect photos of Flowerlites as I don't have room to collect the real thing.
My photo collection is ordered by the types of Flowerlites and colors of the rainbow. As bowls are often sold with mismatched flower frog lids, I've included a description of the lids that came with Viking and L.E. Smith bowls to eliminate some of the confusion.
Information on books, websites, Facebook groups, and companies that decorated Flowerlites with silver and gold overlays or cut flowers can be found on my Identification Resources page.
Peter Christensen
Peter@MyFlowerFrogs.com
Flowerlites Index
Bowls with Padded Feet
Bowls with Tree Bark Feet
Bowls with Long Feet, Rounded Tips
Other Viking Flowerlite Shapes
Viking and Beaumont
Long before Viking made Flowerlites, Beaumont made a similar-looking bowl with a flower frog for a lid. However, it did not have a slot for a candle as do Viking Flowerlites. What all the Beaumont bowls with flower frog lids did have was feet with a tree bark pattern as described in Tree Bark Feet, below.
In the first year or so of Viking Flowerlite production, Flowerlites also had tree bark feet. Thus it can be difficult to determine if a bowl with tree bark feet was made by Viking or Beaumont. This is the reason I have included both Viking and Beaumont bowls on this page, presenting them together without determination as to who made them.
I also include bowls made by Beaumont on this Flowerlites page because they are so often included in Viking Flowerlite collections, whether by intention or misidentification.
L.E. Smith
L.E. Smith made a number of products with flower frogs that also held a candle. One was even named the Flowerlite! However, only their product named the Florette, catalog No. 5250, is similar in appearance to the Viking Flowerlite bowls and is presented on this page.
I include bowls made by L.E. Smith on this Flowerlites page because they are so often included in Viking Flowerlite collections, whether by intention or misidentification.
Flower Frog Lids
All of the flower bowls presented on this page have lids with holes to hold flower stems. The stems pass through the holes and down into the water in the bowl, while the blossoms create a beautiful display above the lid.
The diameter of the bottom of the flower frog lids is smaller than the diameter of the top. This allows the bottom to fit into the opening of the bowl and the top to rest on the lip of the opening as any lid would fit on a bowl.
Caution: Unfortunately, today bowls are often sold with mismatched lids, as is likely the case with a number of the examples appearing on this page. And to further complicate identification, some collections and even examples on this page could include bowls that were never intended to hold flowers, but were sold as candy dishes. The lids, if they had them, now gone missing.
Viking Flowerlite & Flowerette Lids
In addition to holes to hold flower stems, Flowerlite lids have one or two recessed slots to hold candles. Thus the "lite" in Flowerlite!
Viking also made a product named the Flowerette. It was similar to the Flowerlite except that it was designed to only hold flowers. It came with a lid with an additional hole instead of a slot for a candle.
The Flowerette lids also had round feet on their bottoms. This was a common practice with flower frogs made for the tops of bowls so that they could alternatively be set in water in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Thus the "frog" in flower frog!
Shapes and sizes:
- Small 3¼" Round Flowerlite & Flowerette Lids:
Image 1a: The Flowerlite lid used with the 4.5" Bowl and most other types of Flowerlites has 10 holes for flower stems and one slot to hold a candle.
Image 1b: The Flowerette version of the above has 11 holes, no slot to hold a candle, and round feet around the perimeter of the underside.
Click to enlarge and view notes
- Large 3½" Round Flowerlite & Flowerette Lids:
Image 2a: The Flowerlite lid used with the 5.5" Bowl and the Bulls Eye has 15 holes for flower stems and one slot to hold a candle.
Image 2b: This version of the above has a hole in the center of the candle slot so that it can alternatively be used to hold a flower stem.
Image 2c: The Flowerette version of the above has 16 holes, no slot to hold a candle, and round feet around the perimeter of the underside.
Click to enlarge and view notes
- Oval Scroll and Centerpiece Lids:
Image 3: The lid used with the Scroll and Centerpiece has 33 holes for flower stems including the holes in the centers of the 2 slots to hold candles so that they can alternatively be used to hold flower stems.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Beaumont Flower Bowl Lids
Image 4: This form of flower frog lid that can be found on many bowls known to have been made by Beaumont. It has 16 holes for flower stems.
However, as explained in Tree Bark Feet, below, it can be difficult to determine whether some bowls were made by Beaumont or Viking. Therefore it can not be determined what other forms of lids, if any, Beaumont might have made.
Click to enlarge and view notes
L.E. Smith Florette Lids
Image 5: Florette lids had 11 holes for flower stems, and round feet on their bottoms. Adding feet to a flower frog lid was a common practice so that the flower frog could alternatively be set in water in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Thus the "frog" in flower frog!
Click to enlarge and view notes
Bowl Feet
Viking Padded Feet
Viking Flowerlite and Flowerette bowls were made with two different styles of feet:
- Tree bark feet, which only appeared in the first year or so of production.
- Padded feet, which appeared thereafter, making them the most common form.
Images 1a & 1b: Padded feet are relatively smooth, with a moderately ornate extension of the base of the feet extending a short way up the sides of the bowl.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Tree Bark Feet
Bowls with tree bark feet appeared in two different forms:
- Tree Bark Feet
Images 2a & 2b: The tree bark pattern appears on the feet and the base of the feet, which extends only a very short way up the sides of the bowl.
Images 2c & 2d: Bowls with Tree Bark Feet may have a seam on the bottom of their feet as shown in Image 2c, or they may not have a seam as shown in Image 2d.
Click to enlarge and view notes
- Tree Bark Feet & Sides
Images 3a & 3b: The tree bark pattern appears on the feet and the base of the feet, and extends up the sides of the bowl.
Images 3c & 3d: Bowls with Tree Bark Feet & Sides may have a seam on the bottom of their feet as shown in Image 3c, or they may not have a seam as shown in Image 3d.
Click to enlarge and view notes
L.E. Smith Feet
Images 4a & 4b: The feet of the L.E. Smith Florette are long, smooth, and have rounded tips.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Colors
Butterscotch Amber
Please do not give credence to the color names appearing on this page:
- My two primary sources of information are not always in agreement in regard to colors.
- Color can vary from one production run to the next.
- I have not seen the Flowerlites on this page, I have only collected the photos. The lighting used to photograph them may have affected their color.
- I acquired some of the color names from sellers who may have made them up to describe the color as they saw it.
That said, if you have any suggestions to improve the color information appearing on this page, I would appreciate your input.
4.5" Bowls with Padded Feet
by Viking
Photo courtesy TimeTurnerVintageUS on Etsy
The 4.5" Bowl form is Viking catalog No. 1007, and is the most common form of Flowerlite.
Translucent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Opaque
Click to enlarge and view notes
Silver Overlay
Click to enlarge and view notes
Gold Overlay
Click to enlarge and view notes
Cut Glass
Click to enlarge and view notes
Painted Glass
Click to enlarge and view notes
5.5" Bowls with Padded Feet
by Viking
The 5.5" Bowl form is Viking catalog No. 1014, and is similar to the 4.5" Bowl except for its larger size.
Translucent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Opaque
Click to enlarge and view notes
Silver Overlay
Click to enlarge and view notes
Cut Glass
Click to enlarge and view notes
Bowls with Tree Bark Feet
by Viking and Beaumont
These examples have a tree bark pattern that appears on the feet and the base of the feet, which extends only a very short way up the sides of the bowl as described in Tree Bark Feet, above. They include a mix of bowls made by Viking and Beaumont as it can be difficult to determine the maker. See Viking and Beaumont, above.
Translucent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Opaque
Click to enlarge and view notes
Silver Overlay
Click to enlarge and view notes
Painted Glass
Click to enlarge and view notes
Bowls with Tree Bark Feet and Sides
by Viking and Beaumont
Photo courtesy VintagevixonCo on Etsy
These examples have a tree bark pattern that appears on the feet and the base of the feet, and extends up the sides of the bowl as described in Tree Bark Feet, above. They include a mix of bowls made by Viking and Beaumont as it can be difficult to determine the maker. See Viking and Beaumont, above.
Transparent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Opaque
Click to enlarge and view notes
Silver Overlay
Click to enlarge and view notes
Cut Glass
Click to enlarge and view notes
Painted Glass
Click to enlarge and view notes
L.E. Smith Florettes
Photo courtesy Michael Harris at midmodmike.com
The Florette is L.E. Smith catalog No. 5250. The key to identifying it as L.E. Smith is the distinct shape of its feet as described in L.E. Smith Feet, above
Translucent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Opaque
Click to enlarge and view notes
Hobnail
Important Note: These bowls with scalloped lips were sold as open bowls without flower frog lids. The lids you see pictured here were "married" with the bowls, and came from the tops of bowls designed to have flower frog lids.
They are presented here for educational purposes, as they are often included with their adopted lids in collections of the other bowls presented on this page.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Artichoke
Photo courtesy Nancy Norvell Prusinski
The Artichoke form is Viking catalog No. 1507, and uses the lid of the 4.5" Bowl.
Translucent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Silverplate Base
Click to enlarge and view notes
Bulls Eye
The Bulls Eye form is Viking catalog No. 1014, and uses the lid of the 5.5" Bowl. It was part of the Yesteryear line, and was only made for a short period of time and in only the two colors shown.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Centerpiece
Photo courtesy Nancy Norvell Prusinski
The Centerpiece form is Viking catalog No. 1050.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Hobnail
The Hobnail form is Viking catalog No. 1932, and uses the lid of the 4.5" Bowl. It was part of the Yesteryear line.
Translucent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Opaque
Click to enlarge and view notes
Pineapple
The Pineapple form is Viking catalog No. 1930, and uses the flower frog lid of the 4.5" Bowl. It was part of the Yesteryear line, and was more commonly sold with a lid that looked like the top of a pineapple.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Princess
The Princess form is Viking catalog No. 5271, and uses the lid of the 4.5" Bowl. It was part of the Princess line.
Click to enlarge and view notes
Scroll
Photo courtesy Jackie Rosenblum Mohr
The Scroll form is Viking catalog No. 1048.
Translucent
Click to enlarge and view notes
Opaque
Click to enlarge and view notes
Silver Overlay
Click to enlarge and view notes
Cut Glass
Click to enlarge and view notes
