Material

iron

Creation Date

1850 – 1899

Date Details

The date of similar ice tongs, as described in 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles (Franklin 569), range from the mid 1800's to the early 20th century, when the ice box (the earliest refrigerator) was utilized to store and preserve food. In the 1920's electric refrigerators were introduced and the need for an "ice box" that contained large ice blocks was no longer needed. The ice tongs noted above may not have been factory made. There is a possibility that these tongs were produced by a blacksmith due to their material and incongruent pointed prongs. Either way, these tongs, like those in 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles, are from an era that utilized large blocks of ice to keep food cold and thus they could date anywhere from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th.

Kitchen Artifact ID

K212