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Collecting and Collections

What Is It?

The most obvious question a curator needs to ask is, “What is it?” Once a curator knows what an object is, he or she can decide what other questions need to be asked in order to reveal the story it holds.

What am I?  Egg Iron, ca 1850 (CSTM 950835) See: Love, Leisure and Laundry 
What am I? Egg Iron, ca 1850 (CSTM 950835)
See:
Love, Leisure and Laundry
 

At first glance, this artifact may look like a weapon from the Middle Ages but, in fact, its purpose is much more peaceful. It is called an “egg iron” because of its shape, and it was used during the 1800s to iron wrinkles out of hats, puffed sleeves and other round or curved pieces of clothing. The egg-shaped end would be heated on a stove, and then applied to the inside of the wrinkled item.

 
Photo: May Ballantyne, National Archives of Canada/PA-131939 

 

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