Vintage Manning-Bowman Iron

THE IRON IS UNTESTED.
The serial number on these irons typically indicate the date of production which in this case is"4-46", meaning that it was likely produced in April of 1946.

The Manning-Bowman Company was one of the first housewares manufacturers in the United States and was founded in 1849 in Cromwell, Connecticut as Thomas Manning and Son. Manning's son Thadeus took on a partner, Robert Bowman in 1864 and the new company was incorporated as Manning-Bowman and Company. The firm produced "Britannia" ware, planished (toughened, polished) tin ware, granite iron ware, pearl agate ware, electro-silver ware, nickel-plated ware, and porcelain enamelware. In 1872, they merged with the Meriden Britannia Company and moved to Meriden, Connecticut, where they remained for over eight decades.

Over the years, Manning-Bowman became involved in supplying the hotel and restaurant trades with numerous cooking devices, only later adding household cooking items to it's product line. Shortly after the turn of the century, the company was one of the first to manufacture electrical appliances for the home. By the teens, they, along with Landers, Frary and Clark, were the leaders in the portable appliance industry, and remained so until after World War II. In 1952, Manning-Bowman was sold to McGraw-Electric, which continued using the Manning-Bowman name into the mid-1950s.

The company location was at Pratt and Miller Streets in Meriden, occupying a unique triangular-shaped building that has since been demolished. Across the street from the Meriden Public Library, brick back buildings of the original Manning-Bowman Company can be seen.

As of 2016, over seventy (70) Manning-Bowman Company designs are in American museums and collections, including most notably at Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford as well as the Brooklyn Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Yale University Art Gallery.

The Manning-Bowman Company exhibited products in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, the Exposition Universelle (1878) in Paris, and the Melbourne International Exhibition (1880).



***Please look at the attached photos for size and condition. Photos are part of the description representing the condition report and can be used for authentication prior to the sale date. We urge bidder's to view all attached photos in detail. All items are sold "AS IS". Thank you for your interest and good luck bidding.

Notes: Please inspect all photos carefully before bidding. Thank you for your interest and good luck bidding.

18%

Vincenza Marsullo | (860) 997-3332 | fil14fy@gmail.com

Pickup Details

Private Residence

Torrington, CT 06790

When to Pickup

Sunday, 7/25, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

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