Antique French clothing irons are very distinctive and graphic in form and shape, and make for a great display. Note the unusual and interesting "hollowed out" body designs of these irons. Esther Berney indicated the raised ridge was to permit alcohol to be poured onto the face and ignited to heat up the body. I imagine another idea behind it was to lighten the burden or lessen the chore by decreasing the weight posed by a thicker and more solid bodied base, while still providing for ample surface area of the ironing face. And note that even being hollowed out these irons are anything but plain or understated. Look at the lovely designs and the intricate decoration of the casting within the hollows, and the way the manufacturer's marks become part of that beautiful design.
French Flat Iron
Marked "D.W. NO. 5"
I'm not sure who was the foundry maker of this iron, but the
design is in high relief and not like any of the others in this collection.
Different!
Good ........ $25.00
PR-DW5
Slab
Construction French Flat Iron Marked "M. & C. IE"
The base of this French iron is steel, not cast, and the pressed steel
handle is fastened to the base with screws. The mark is similar to
that used by the Jules Manil foundry, except on this iron there are two
5-point stars inscribed along with the initials. A handsome iron!
Good ........ $25.00
PR-199
3
Full Size French Sadirons w/ Decorative Lettering & Designs
The form and style of French antique pressing irons
is very distinctive and there are many variations and different designs that
can be found. The top one is a nice teardrop while the two lower ones have nice
flat bar cast handles. Each one is different!
ML-FR-7 ML-FR-8 ML-FR-9
Very Good..... $18.00 / Choice $40.00 / lot
2
French Tear Drop Flat
More examples that show
how distinctive and interesting the design of these French irons can be. Both
nice!
Left .... Good ........ $25.00 BCM-316
Right .... Good ........ $25.00 BCM-317
"Gendarme"
French Flatiron with Wreath Logo
The French iron on the left is marked "Gendarme"
and has a decorative wreath design cast into the top. The iron next to
it is marked with a 4 and an S as well as having some lettering in the center
of the circle in the middle. I'm guessing that this iron may be English
from the style.
ML-FR-4 ML-ENG-1
Very Good..... $20.00 / Choice
3
Graduated Size French Teardrop # 5, 6, 7 DC Flat Irons
Good+ ..... $20.00 / choice or $45.00 Lot
PR-J10 PR-J9 PR-J4
2
French Sad Irons
A teardrop shaped on the left and a spade
shaped French polisher with rounded up back on the right.
Good + ..... $20.00 / Choice
J2-PR-J3
French
Post & Beam Handle " Ideal" Sad Iron
The French more than
any other created more decorative design flat or sad irons than anyone else.
There seems to be a near endless supply of different casting designs available.
This one is marked Ideal.
PR-217
Good+ ........ $25.00
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