To counter faltering sales during the Great Depression, more adventurous manufacturers began to employ outside design consultants and invest in materials research. In the 1800s the Wagner Manufacturing Company had built a reputation for traditional cast-iron cookware, but in the early 1930s it introduced Magnalite, a patented magnesium/aluminum alloy. Rideout, one of a new generation of American industrial designers, was brought in to rework the appearance of the company's housewares, including this teakettle. His efforts, however, were focused on aesthetics more than functionality: the kettle's lid is semipermanently attached and may only be removed by first detaching the handle with a screwdriver.

Gallery label from

Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen, September 15, 2010-March 14, 2011.

Manufacturer Wagner Mfg. Co., Sidney, OH
Medium Magnalite and lacquered wood
Dimensions 8 1/2 x 9 13/16" (21.6 x 25 cm)
Credit Purchase fund
Object number 254.1944
Department Architecture & Design

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