General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Nickel-plated iron body. Wooden hand grip. Plated steel heel and handle brackets (possibly chrome-plated). Brass mfr.'s plate.

Dimensions

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

Length

19.7 cm

Width

11.4 cm

Height

13.0 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

Renfrew

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Renfrew

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

Period

This type of iron was presumably used c. 1949 +.

Canada

Manufactured and used in Canada. (Ref.1)

Function

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

Technical

Possibly a Canadian copy of the American Beauty iron introduced in 1912 and which was considered for many years the standard of excellence. (Ref.1) The electric iron was invented in 1882, by Howard Seely. Seely patented his electric flat iron 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 1950’s, electric steam irons were introduced.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Plate fixed to cord guard/heel reads "NO. 479/ 110 V./ "CANADIAN BEAUTY"/ ELECTRIC IRON/ CSA APP./ NO. 103/ 5 AMPS./ RENFREW ELECTRIC & REFRIGERATOR CO. LTD./ RENFREW, CANADA"

Missing

Electric cord missing.

Finish

Bright metal iron body and cord guard. Wooden handle is painted black. Brass mfr. plate with red background and brass lettering.

Decoration

N/A