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Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Curling Iron, c. 1900-1920 |
Object Name |
Iron, Curling |
Description |
Curling tongs/iron. It has two wooden handles that are joined to a 4" metal rod and blade clamp that would hold the hair in place. It is a spring-loaded clamp. This iron would be heated on a stove and possibly ordered from Sears Roebuck or Montgomery Ward. In the 1890s, cutting bangs to curl about the forehead was a fashionable and frequently noted in magazines, newspapers, and cabinet cards. While there are debates over the exact date that the curling iron was invented, it first appeared in 1872 and was patented in 1905 by François Marcel Woelfflé. Like the one displayed here, the first curling irons were not electric. Instead, they were heated over a fire or on stoves. You had to work quickly to curl your hair and often had to reheat the iron during the process. By 1959, the electric curling iron was patented by Rene Lelievre and Roger Lemoine and mass produced. This allowed for it to become a staple in the average household rather than a luxury only a few could afford. |
Year Range from |
1900 |
Year Range to |
1920 |
Catalog Number |
2018.017.001 |