Colonial America
Early American Waffle Iron With Nice Brass Plate Design
c. Late 18th Century, New England or Pennsylvanian Ornate “Folk Art” Style Waffle Iron, Brass and Wrought Iron, 16" in length, Very Fine.
This is an original, quite lovely example of an early waffle iron, obviously crafted by a skilled artisan, Hand-working with both brass and wrought iron work. A press such as this would have been used at the hearth for cooking small dessert and breakfast waffles, often served alongside syrup, honey, fruit and/or cream. Amounts of batter would have been placed between the dual petaled shaped pans. The piece would then have been inserted directly into the flames of a fire to cook them. The Dutch introduced the Waffle Iron to America and it became widely popular in its use. The English soon added maple syrup, honey or homemade “brown sugar” syrup. This design is quite ornate and similar to others shown in period references suggesting a start date of about 1750 in America, though this example is somewhat higher in quality and later in the century. A wonderful article of period hearth ware that's certain to be a compliment to any Colonial period collection display.