Saucepan
Lid
Maker & role
Unknown, Maker
Production date
1940
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Object detail
Collection
Measurements
0 - Whole, H: 17 x W: 30 x D: 15.5cm (H: 170 x W: 300 x D: 155mm)
Signature & marks
-1saucepan, impressed on side '[crown] 080 / 14'; -2 lid, impressed '14'.
Credit line
Gift, 1999
Susannah Place Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Susannah Place Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caption
Saucepan with rolled rim and lid with ear handle, maker unknown, pre 1940, aluminium and string
Description
The handle of this aluminium cooking pot has been bound with string as a form of insulation against heat conducted along the metal. The section where a hand would grip has smoothed with use.
Aluminium was a popular material for cookware in the early 1900s. Compared with iron and copper (which had formerly been the primary cookware materials) aluminium was much lighter, cheaper to buy and heated quickly saving gas, easier to clean and did not rust. Stainless steel shares many of these attributes but was much more expensive. Aluminium is quite a soft metal and dented easily if knocked against a hard surface or dropped. Enamelled steel was sturdier than aluminium and relatively inexpensive, but the enamel layer chipped easily and the steel beneath, once exposed was prone to rust. Although easy to wash, aluminium required some care, however, as some foods and cleaning agents react with the metal causing it to discolour, or in the case of this pot, corrosion on the surface of the interior base has caused pitting. Some staining is evident around the interior base, despite it having a rounded edge, and in difficult to reach the areas where the handle attaches to the pot.
Aluminium was a popular material for cookware in the early 1900s. Compared with iron and copper (which had formerly been the primary cookware materials) aluminium was much lighter, cheaper to buy and heated quickly saving gas, easier to clean and did not rust. Stainless steel shares many of these attributes but was much more expensive. Aluminium is quite a soft metal and dented easily if knocked against a hard surface or dropped. Enamelled steel was sturdier than aluminium and relatively inexpensive, but the enamel layer chipped easily and the steel beneath, once exposed was prone to rust. Although easy to wash, aluminium required some care, however, as some foods and cleaning agents react with the metal causing it to discolour, or in the case of this pot, corrosion on the surface of the interior base has caused pitting. Some staining is evident around the interior base, despite it having a rounded edge, and in difficult to reach the areas where the handle attaches to the pot.
Accession number
SP99/6-1:2
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