A collection of irons.
At the back is a tailors’ iron—about 5Kg of iron, nothing else.
The redhandled iron and the one next to it are “all day irons” because instead of heating the iron in the fireplace (nice job on an Australian summer day!) there is an alcohol burner in the iron keeping it hot—note how each has a metho tank at the back of the iron.
In front of the redhandled iron is a small iron that is curved not flat! It was for ironing around collars and cuffs, it would bounce over lace where an ordinary flat iron would plow into the lace and damage it. This little iron would be heated in or over a fire.
You can see a little iron trivet to rest the iron on.
At the front is a mid 20th century (probably, some research to do) electric iron and behind that a brass iron with a lid that can be unlatched, moved up and a shovel full of coals poured in, the lid lowered and fastened again.
Apart from the yellow iron these are all pre-electricity so 1800s to maybe 1940s—electricity did not arrive everywhere at the same time.
Was in Strathalbyn today, saw a “chimney iron.” No, not for ironing chimneys
it is one of the type filled with hot coals, a hinged cover at the front could be opened to provide a draught and the smoke from the burning coals would come out the chimney. The chimney meant the smoke from the coals did not reach the clothes so the clothes being ironed did not pick up a smell from the smoke from the coals. Possibly the coals could be coaxed back to life by opening the little hatch causing a draught to go through the coals.
I intend to display these with a spot for “21st century iron” which of course would be kept empty. Ironing, who does that these days?
I love the onward march of technology.
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