This little lady is a personal favourite of mine, you can see that considerable effort has been taken to shape her handle to make her pretty, not just practical.
She is a reminder of a world where ironing was a hot and heavy task, with irons heated in fires or on stoves. Where you would need to wrap the handle in linen to prevent you from burning yourself as you ironed.
This iron dates from the mid to late 19th century - irrespective of when she was manufactured she is stunning.
Style her as a paperweight in your office, a decorative piece in the lounge, a bookend on a bookcase, a perfectly weighted doorstop or as an ode to years gone by and the toil that our Grandmothers went to keep their families looking presentable, by placing her on display in your laundry.
Curious about her 'sad' name. In middle English, "sad" meant "solid" and she is quite the solid iron.
