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Pattern book
Unknown - Enlarge image
Pattern book
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (published)
- Date:
1818-1820 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Engravings, ink on paper, with cloth and leather binding
- Museum number:
E.229-1927
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 118a, case 8
Object Type
This print is an engraving, a technique whereby an image is made by gouging lines into the surface of a flat metal plate, inking the plate and then under pressure transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper.
Subject Depicted
This design for a wafer iron is from a volume of designs for door knockers, wafer irons, waffle irons, latches and candle snuffers. This collection of designs was created in about 1820 by an unknown English manufacturer.
A wafer iron is made up of two shallow pans that clasp together, and a long handle. The wafer biscuit is cooked on the fire, between the two pans. The design on the wafer iron was transferred to the wafer during the cooking process.
This design contains the American patriotic symbol of an American bald-headed eagle with the motto 'E Pluribus Unum' (From out of the many, one). The motto is written in reverse on the wafer iron, so that it reads the correct way round on the heated wafer biscuit. This design was therefore clearly intended for the production of wafer irons for use in the United States.
