General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

2

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Cast iron body

Dimensions

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

Length

16.2 cm

Width

8.3 cm

Height

5.0 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

Woodyatt

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Guelph

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

Sad Irons were used in Canada from the 1880s up and into the early 20th century. A.R and Woodyatt Company eventually was bought out by Taylor-Forbes Company which was one of Canada’s main iron manufacturers.

Function

Pressing/ironing textiles. Sad Iron ‘1’ with detachable handle (detachable handle patented in 1871 in the United States). Base absorbed and retained heat when the solid body of the iron was placed in close proximity or on an external heat source. The weight of the iron correlated to the style of the textile (heavier iron for heavier textiles). The sole of the iron needed to be entirely flat in order to eradicate wrinkles and press seams and creases.

Technical

Sad irons with detachable handles (patented in 1871) are a marked advancement in the history of ironing technologies. They not only increased productivity, as a user could have multiple iron bases being heated at once (and therefore not have to wait for a single iron to re-heat) but also provided a greater level of comfort for the user; wood does not conduct heat and allowed the user a much cooler handle.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Cast in raised lettering on top plate: "A.R. WOODYATT & CO/ 1 [twice]/ GUELPH CANADA"

Missing

Complete

Finish

Black wrinkle finish.

Decoration

N/A