Material

iron

Dimensions

Overall: 6 x 10 1/2 x 6 9/16in. (15.2 x 26.7 x 16.7cm)

Creation Date

circa 1780 – 1820

Description

Wrought iron toaster with a flat bottom plate forged integrally with a disk-ended handle, pierced for suspension. Riveted to the bottom plate are two hooks are set at the front corners, and four round-sectioned bars arched between the sides. The back edge of the bottom plate is decoratively shaped and filed.

Perhaps one of the few dietary staples most modern Americans have in common with early Americans is a simple piece of toast. Cooking a piece of bread not only adds a delightful crunch and improves flavor, it is also an easy way of making less-than-fresh bread not only edible, but delicious. This is why toasters have been around for centuries, if not millennia, and are to be found in most kitchens today.

Of wrought and riveted construction, this toaster is designed to be hung on a bar grate, which is like a set of andirons joined to each other by a series of parallel bars. Its four arching bars create three separate positions for bread, each successively further from the fire, allowing for greater control in how "well" one wanted their toast done, or how quickly.

Provenance

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Gift of the Gustave E. Rosenau Foundation.

Kitchen Artifact ID

Acc. No. 1985-25