Isinglass curtains zip into a boat's canopy. It’s the 1890’s in the Oklahoma Territory. Gordon McRae sits next to Shirley Jones bragging about the expensive carriage he is driving to the social. One feature he really likes is the “isinglass curtains you can roll right down in case there’s a change in the weather.” The Rodgers and Hammerstein lyrics describing the “Surrey with The Fringe on Top” imply that these isinglass curtains were “windows” that rolled up in good weather and down in stormy or cold weather. That is what isinglass curtains are, but the isinglass of the 1890’s couldn’t be rolled up and down. Definition Isinglass is a semitransparent material formed by cleaning and drying the air bladders of fish such as sturgeon and cod. The substance is used in clarifying wine and beer and making glues and cement. Isinglass is also a synonym for any transparent material that is used to bring sunlight indoors while providing protection from the wind, rain and cold.

History Mica is a mineral made from watery silicates of aluminum or potassium that crystallize into forms that can be cut into very thin, transparent sheets. The Romans were the first to use mica strips to cover window openings. Mica windows were the earliest form of windows in the United States. Because these thin sheets were transparent, they were called isinglass windows. Mica is also heat resistant, so sheets of mica were used to make isinglass curtains for lanterns and stoves. After the invention of electricity, isinglass was used to make lamp shades because it is also resistant to electricity. 's July 8, 2010 newsletter, there is an article about the history of celluoid and rayon. Celluloid is a transparent form of polyvinylchloride, more commonly referred to as vinyl. Products made from PVC began to replace metal, wood and glass in the 1920's because PVC was resistant to corrosion and chemicals and was flame-resistant as well. PVC could be as rigid as pipe but pliable as plastic wrap and was much lighter than metal or glass.

Plastic was also resistant to rot and mold. Model T's The Model T Ford of the 1920's was open on the sides with a detachable, canopy roof. The canopy had no windows, however, because using glass windows would make the car too heavy. If the glass broke, the flying shards also posed a threat, so the manufacturers began making celluloid windows they called isinglass curtains. These curtains could be taken off and stored under the seat of the car when the weather was nice. Isinglass Curtains Hard tops and safety glass windows replaced the canopy tops with isinglass curtains in the 1930’s. made to measure curtains daventryToday, isinglass curtains are the vinyl windows zipped into the canvas top used on a motorboat. blinds curtains kadinaThese curtains can be rolled up and stored when the boat is in dry dock or when the weather is nice. barry's curtains lahore

They can be unrolled and zipped into place any time "there is a change in the weather." They hold tight against boat speeds up to 30 knots and a driving rain. WOTD – 30 May 2016 Wikipedia has an article on: Pieces of isinglass used to make tempera paints An isinglass solution being added to a tank of wine to fine it – to improve its clarity and stability Apparently from obsolete Dutch huisenblas, from German Hausenblase, from Hausen ‎(“sturgeon of the Huso genus”) + Blase ‎(“bladder”).chris orme curtains isinglass (usually uncountable, plural isinglasses)razorback curtains at target French: ichtyocolle (fr) fcurtains se23 Galician: cola de peixe (gl) f, ictiocola (gl) fhomebase blackout curtains

Greek: ιχθυόκολλα (el) f ‎() Persian: کبد (fa) ‎() Polish: karuk (pl) m Russian: ры́бий клей m ‎() Spanish: cola de pescado f, colapez (es) f Vietnamese: thạchIn my last post (on some British vocabulary) I mentioned blancmange, giving the first part of the definition from the (century-old) Century Dictionary. It’s worth quoting in full: Blancmange: In cookery, a name of different preparations of the consistency of jelly, variously composed of dissolved isinglass, arrowroot, corn-starch, etc., with milk and flavoring substances. eclipse curtains fire retardantIt is frequently made from a marine alga, Chondrus crispus, called Irish moss, which is common on the coasts of Europe and North America. tahari grommet curtainsThe blancmanger mentioned by Chaucer in the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, 1. next gold ombre sequin hidden tab curtains

387, was apparently a compound made of capon minced with flour, sugar, and cream. One of the commenters, Gil, didn’t see how the isinglass he knew could be edible: I dunno where that cockamamie reference book got isinglass and such. Who today knows what isinglass is? I have seen some as a kid -- it's a transparent sort of quartz that can be split into thin sheets (and used for windows on the surrey with the fringe on top). I don't think the FDA would approve of an isinglass pudding nowadays. curtain tie backs dunelm millLike Gil, I knew the isinglass that was translucent (and a feature of the pretty little surrey in the song from “Oklahoma!”). pvc strip curtains aberdeenBut I also vaguely knew it was an animal product. glass curtain wall traduction

So what is it really?The original isinglass (first OED cite 1545) is "a firm whitish semitransparent substance (being a comparatively pure form of gelatin) obtained from the sounds or air-bladders of some fresh-water fishes, esp. the sturgeon; used in cookery for making jellies, etc., also for clarifying liquors, in the manufacture of glue, and for other purposes." The word may be “a corruption or imperfect imitation of an obsolete Dutch huisenblas (Kilian huysenblase, huysblas), German hausenblase isinglass, lit. ‘swish curtain rail holder Two centuries later, the second sense of isinglass appears: “A name given to mica, from its resembling in appearance some kinds of isinglass.”shower curtain rail 85cm Whether this isinglass could be used in curtains that would "roll right down, in case there's a change in the weather" is still being debated. swish curtain track cord weights