"Oriole Electric Flat Iron Take-Up"
date: label: date made
content: ca 1923
notes: label: Description
content: Spring reel with braided cord enclosed by an aluminum cover with funnel-shaped cord guide and mounted to a flat circular base with V-shaped groove on its outside to accommodate an electrical cord; two threaded posts extend through base, one with a spool-shaped nut. Cover stamped with product name, maker and patent information.
label: Description
content: Used condition; missing both means of securing reel to the electrical cord: tapes or ties were originally at the end of the braided cord and a separate clamping plate was held against the base by the spool-shaped nuts, which were tightened to firmly fix the electrical cord inside the V-shaped groove.
label: Description
content: Maker is William C. O'Brien of Baltimore, MD. O'Brien received U.S. Patent No. 1,470,183 for "useful improvements in Take-Ups for Flatiron Conductors" on October 9, 1923. His application filing date was May 24, 1920, suggesting this example could date between 1920 and 1923.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Maryland, Baltimore
topic: label: Subject
content: Household Tools and Equipment
label: Subject
content: Laundry
label: Subject
content: Patented
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Donald Hoke
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1977.1181.02
label: catalog number
content: 1977.1181.02
label: accession number
content: 1977.1181
objectType: label: Object Name
content: reel, take-up
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: aluminum (cover material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (reel, base material)
label: Physical Description
content: cotton (cord material)
label: Physical Description
content: iron (screws, nuts material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 1/4 in x 2 5/8 in; 5.715 cm x 6.6675 cm