Before the advent of central heating, warmth was provided by open fires, braziers or solid-fuel stoves in the main living rooms of a house. To maintain a fire all day demands a certain level of skill - knowing when to add more fuel, when to poke the fire and when to leave it alone - and a range of specialist tools. Bellows like these were designed to add oxygen to a smouldering fire, encouraging it to burn more fiercely.

The design of these bellows reflects that of the most fashionable French furniture of the last quarter of the 18th century but they were probably made in England in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the styles of France in the 18th century were particularly fashionable and were frequently reproduced. In particular, the neo-classical style, associated with the French Queen Marie Antoinette, whose life ended on the guillotine, was wildly popular and frequently reproduced.