Antique Chocolate BROWN & GREY Mottled Extra Large Enamelware buying GRANITEWARE County Farmhouse Kitchen Colander

FROM AN OLD SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI DAIRY FARM ESTATE, A RARE EXAMPLE OF AN EXTRA LARGE PORCELAIN ENAMELWARE FINISHED METAL FARMHOUSE KITCHEN COLANDER.

MEASURING AN IMPRESSIVE 12" IN DIAMETER TO THE TURNED TOP EDGE, buying ADDING 1.75" FOR EACH OF THE FORMED HANDLES ~ STANDING 6" TALL ~ TAPERED TO A 9" DIAMETER FLANGE PEDESTAL BASE, WEIGHING A SUBSTANTIAL -2- POUNDS.

TO THE EXTERIOR, A SMOOTH CHOCOLATE BROWN ENAMEL FINISH WITH MOTTLED GREY ENAMEL TO THE INTERIOR.

CONDITION REPORT > AS ACQUIRED, NOT CLEANED OR ALTERED ~ A NUMBER OF FRACTURES TO THE PORCELAIN ENAMEL RESULTING IN RUST TO THE BASE METAL ~ EXPECT TYPICAL ELEMENTS RELATIVE AT AGE, USE AND MATERIAL ~ OVERALL GOOD, VINTAGE CONDITION, BEST NOTED BY EXAMINING THE IMAGES OFFERED.

HISTORY OF EARLY GRANITEWARE & ENAMELWARE

Graniteware, technically enamelware, traces it's origins to Germany in the early 1800's. A process was developed to coat metals with an enamel finish and the earliest pieces were of solid color.

Enamelware is a trip down memory lane. White jugs with blue trim and laundry tubs with red trim all bring us back to a simpler time. It's a part of the farmhouse country look.

Vintage items made of enamelware include ladles, coffeepots, jugs, strainers, jelly moulds, measuring jugs, bread tins, sauce pans, laundry tubs, chamber pots, garbage cans, canisters and trays. There is also a large supply of reproductions of these items available. Look for reproduction laundry tins, canisters and bread tins from major retailers.

The Egyptians and Chinese treated enamellings as decorative art. It was only during the 18th century that the Swiss and Germans began to use enamel to cover cooking utensils. By the middle of the 19th century, companies in the United States and Europe were producing enameled kitchenware.

Long before Teflon and other protective finishes, enameling was the hot new thing. Prior to enameling, food was cooked in non-porous, glazed stoneware that was better suited to baking. To cook foods at high temperature the cookware needed to be made of iron. Coating iron with a porcelain enamel created an easy to clean, sanitary and chemical resistant surface. This was a great technological advance.

Graniteware, iron or steel kitchenware or kitchen implements covered with enamel coating, is becoming more popular with collectors.The first graniteware was made in Germany in the 1830s, but it was not produced here until the late 1860s. The most common colors marketed were a speckled white and gray, although each company usually made its own special color or color combination -- including blue, green, brown, violet, cream and red.

During a trip to Germany in 1874 William Niedringhaus, who along with his brother Frederick owned a kitchen utensil manufacturing company, noticed enameled utensils in a store display and ultimately ended up purchasing the process. Upon his return to St. Louis the brothers began working on manufacturing enamel coated utensils. The Niedringhaus version of enamelware was coated with ground granite. Graniteware was featured at the 1876 Philly Expo.

Like so many things, graniteware has become the "generic" term for enamelware. True graniteware would have it's origin in Granite City, Illinois.