History of Snow Globes
Snowdomes, snow globes, paperweights, snow machines, snow shakers, snow scenes, water domes, water balls, dream globes, blizzard weights, or dream balls were likely derived from heavy glass paperweights which were popular in the latter part of the 1800s. The glass paperweights were made from costly materials which made the popular item inaccessible to the general public. Not only were snow globes less expensive, but they also engaged the viewer. Snow globes are dynamic -- creating a miniature snowstorm descending on the encased diorama.
The first mention of a snow globe featured a man with an umbrella displayed at the Paris Exposition of 1878. Eleven years later at the 1889 Exposition, visitors came to marvel at the steel structure of the Eiffel Tower. There are no examples remaining of these first souvenir globes – but others introduced later suggest that domes were created to commemorate the inauguration of the Tower. The concept quickly became popular throughout Victorian Europe featuring religious themes and pilgrimage sites.
A few years later, a Viennese man Edwin Perzy developed the same idea when researching a way to improve operating room lights. A glass globe filled with water creates a magnifying lens by increasing refraction. To enhance the reflected light, Perzy put ground glass in the water. When it quickly sank, he tried semolina which floated slowly to the bottom of the globe. It did nothing to improve the light quality, but the snowfall inspired him to make his first snow globe: a reproduction of a Viennese shrine in a glass bulb with water, magnesium powder, and rock. The snow domes were exquisitely and painstakingly produced and are still in production today where they make around 200,000 a year outside of Vienna.
To become a widespread global gift, globes needed to be manufactured more efficiently. In 1927, an American, Joseph Garaja pioneered production improvements filling snow globes underwater. They went from expensive individually crafted objects to cheaply made mass-produced objects. Mass popularity grew in the 1940s with the increased use of plastic and the development of the tourist industry. For those who could afford to travel with their families, souvenirs were in high demand. In response to this new market, the snow globe became lighter in weight, dome-shaped, and placed on the top of an opaque colorful base.
Modern Globes:
The snow globe fell out of favor in the 1970s when it epitomized kitsch –but has evolved into something more sophisticated, intricately modeled, and valued among designers and collectors. Novelty gift manufacturers have upgraded the designs and components making them unique gift items often including beautifully modeled landscapes. Some incorporate lights, music, and motors eliminating the need for shaking. Many high-end department stores introduce a custom design every year to commemorate the Christmas season.
Anatomy of a Snow Globe:
Originally the globes were made of glass and the figures inside were made of porcelain, bone, metals, minerals, rubber, or wax. The snow or "flitter" as it's called, could have been ground rice, wax, soap, sand, bone fragments, metal flakes, or sawdust. Producers tied everything. The base was either round or square and may have been made of stone, marble, ceramic, or wood. Today, all but the best quality globes are plastic.
The liquid is just water in the plastic snow globes. Glass ones though often have glycol, an antifreeze, to keep the glass from breaking if it becomes frozen.
A little dust won't bother snow globes, but you should keep them out of direct sunlight.
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