Artifact: Iron Pot
Materials: Iron
Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 14 1/2 in.
Date: Eighteenth Century
Origin:
Collection: Metropolitan Museum of Art
License: OASC
Ledger Entry: Iron Pot
Department: Foodways
Customer: Thomas Self
Ledger Page: 222
Imported From: Iron ore was mined in the colonies and local ironworks produced a variety of everyday wares including pots. More specialized or higher quality items may have been imported from Britain.
Product Description
Iron pots were typically used for cooking soups, stews and puddings. The handle was used to hang the pot over an open flame on a swinging crane, or hook attached to the wall of the fireplace.
Citation: Nancy Carter Crump Hearthside Cooking. (Verginia: McClean, 1986), 22-24; Martin, Ann Smart. Buying Into the World of Goods: Early Consumers in Backcountry Virginia. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008): 186-188.
Historical Price: 3 pence; Modern USD: $2.8
Product Variations
The databases record thirty purchases of pots, most of which are labeled as iron. The pots are identified by weight ranging from sixteen to sixty five lbs. Their prices ranged from two shillings to four and a half shillings.
