From the Collection . . .
Painted Tole Plate Warmer
Tinned sheet iron plate warmer, decorated
with hand-painted red birds, gilt scrolls,
pink and white fl owers, and green leaves.
Cast iron cabriole legs and paw feet.
Circa 1820.
MHM 2002.2430
This painted tin (toleware) plate
warmer is mute testimony to the use
of the downstairs front room of the
Merchant’s House Museum during
the 19th-century. Because it stood
for so many years right before the
fi replace, laden with heavy plates, it
has worn a footprint in the marble
hearth, evidence that for many years,
the Tredwell family used this room as
a dining room.
Today, the custom of warming
the plates for family dinners has
disappeared, but when the only
source of heat in the dining room
was the fi replace, it was an everyday
occurrence and the plate warmer an
indispensable household possession.
The warmer dates to the 1820s, suggesting that the Tredwells probably brought it from their residence on Dey Street. Three shelves hold the plates and the back is open to the fire.
Photograph by Bruce Buck
