General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

CHROME PLATED PRESSED METAL BASE, HOUSING & PANELS/ WIRE ELEMENTS WRAPPED AROUND SHEET MICA CORES/ METAL WIRE GRILLS/ SYNTHETIC LEVER & HANDLE/ COMPOSITION MATERIAL? FEET/ FIBRE COVERED CORD/ RUBBER PLUG WITH BRASS PRONGS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

26.0 cm

Width

13.2 cm

Height

20.9 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Domestic Technology

Category

Food processing

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

MERIT

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Fort Erie

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Unknown

Canada

When this Canadian-made toaster was being produced, the majority of Canadian homes had access to electricity. Prior to this, toasters and other electrical appliances were typically used in commercial settings, such as restaurants. Electrification of homes started initially through the introduction of lighting, leading to the development of some toaster cords that plugged into lightbulb sockets (Ref.1). In 1917, the two-prong system for electrical plugs was established and standardized across North America (Ref.1), and by the 1920s it became more affordable to bring electricity into the home. Between 1941-1951, the percentage of homes with electricity increased significantly, from 69.1% of homes, to 87.8%, with higher percentages in urban regions of the country (Ref. 2). To encourage further use of electricity in homes during low-peak hours, electric companies in Canada began to encourage use of electrical appliances. These companies targeted women in their marketing, promoting the benefits of appliances to reduce workload in the kitchen. Showrooms were set up across Canada by various electric manufacturers, inviting women to view various electrical appliances (Ref.1). As Canadians were introduced to the benefits of electricity in the kitchen, there was initially higher uptake of small electric appliances, such as toasters and irons, than the larger appliances. Between 1952-1960, the total number of toasters that were manufactured in Canada increased from 198,200 to 278,567 toasters total, or a total value of $1.2 million to $2.6 million (Ref.3). By 1931, 40% of homes across Canada owned a toaster (Ref.2).

Function

To toast bread.

Technical

The toaster is made of metal and round in form. Wire is wrapped around mica sheets to create a heating element for the toast, an approach that is used in the design of toaster components to this day. The circular form and minimal use of materials reflect the art deco styling of the toaster (Ref. 4)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

INCISED PRINTING ON BOTTOM READS: 'PATENT APP. [?] 5/ MERIT/ FORT E[RIE]/ MADE IN C[ANADA]/ MODEL [?]/ 115 VOLTS/ CSA APP. NO. [?] 9'/ MARKINGS ON PLUG READ: 'VICEROY/ CSA/ PAT./ PEND./ MADE IN CANADA' & 'VICEROY/ 15A 125V'

Missing

From CA of 03/16/1994 by Tony Missio: No - Complete

Finish

BASE, HOUSING & PANELS METAL WITH POLISHED CHROME FINISH/ELEMENT CORES GRAY MICA/ GRILLS METAL WITH NICKEL? PLATING/ LEVER & HANDLE BLACK SYNTHETIC/ FEET BLACK COMPOSITION MATERIAL?/ CORD COVERING BROWN & BEIGE FIBRE/ PLUG BLACK RUBBER WITH PRONGS BRASSUNFINISHED

Decoration

INCISED PARALLEL LINES ON HANDLES/ PARALLEL SLOTS (COOLING VENTS) ON TOP