General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Nickel plated pressed steel housing. Cast iron sole plate (originally nickel plated?). Nickel plated metal handle, plug guard, and heel stand. Wooden hand grip.

Dimensions

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

Length

21.0 cm

Width

10.5 cm

Height

13.2 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

General Electric

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Part of the Ontario Hydro collection donated to the museum in 1992. Ontario Hydro acquired this iron from Canadian General Electric of Barrie, Ontario in 1964.

Function

Used to press flat and/or remove wrinkles from fabrics.

Technical

The electric iron was invented in 1882, by Howard Seely. Seely patented his electric flatiron on June 6, 1882 (U.S. Patent no. 259,054). Early electric irons used a carbon arc to create heat, which was an unsafe method. In 1892, hand irons using electrical resistance were introduced by Crompton and Company and the General Electric Company. During the 1950s, electric steam irons were introduced.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Mfr.'s marks on heel read: ' "SOVEREIGN"/ TYPE E CGE [logo] 115 VOLTS 5 A'. Masking tape adhered to iron top on proper right side reads: '61'.

Missing

Electrical cord. From CA of 04/06/1994 by Tony Missio: Yes - no cord

Finish

Polished nickel finish on housing, sole plate (?), handle, plug guard, and heel stand. Wooden hand grip painted black.

Decoration

Mfr's logo consists of circle with mfr's insignia at centre.