General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Cast iron body and lid. Brass heat shield and wooden hand grip & latch knob.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

20.5 cm

Width

11.0 cm

Height

21.3 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Domestic Technology

Category

Laundry

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Siddons

Country

England

State/Province

Unknown

City

West Bromwich

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Charcoal irons were presumably used in Canada from the 1880s up and until the 1950s.

Function

Used to press and smooth textiles. Charcoal was placed inside the iron. Smoke from the burning charcoal was drawn up through the chimney and away from the clothes. The flue at the back of the iron could be opened or kept shut depending on how much oxygen was needed to keep the charcoals burning.

Technical

Mostly for commercial use. Charcoal irons were innovations to the traditional sad iron or cold handle sad iron. They were used in many rural areas up and into the 1950s, as electricity was either unavailable or unreliable. In many developing countries, this style of iron (traditional and not tailor’s) is still quite popular.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

‘VICTORIA/DIEU AND MON DROIT/REGISTERED’ embossed on heat shield with coat of arms. ‘7 ½ is embossed on stack and on the inside of the base. A raised ‘S’ cast on draught door (flue).

Missing

From CA of 03/18/1994 by Tony Missio: No - Complete

Finish

Unfinished, polished metal body. Lid has wrinkle finish. Wooden handle and knob; originally varnished?

Decoration

Raised leaf-like pattern cast along the edges of the lid. Raised stitch-like pattern embossed along the sides of the heat shield with a floral motif at either end.