 |
| http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1985.311 |
A toast rack is a serving piece
that has anywhere from five to eight vertical partitions, connected to a flat
base and is used for holding toast. These serving instruments often have a
handle for passing or carrying the toast around the table. The earliest
examples of toast racks were made around the year 1770, and are still made and
used today. The design of the toast rack is not only for aesthetic purposes,
like in the case of Christopher Dresser’s design, but actually serves to keep
the toast from becoming soggy. By keeping the slices upright and separated by
the partitions, the air gaps allowed the steam from the toast to escape without
condensing into the other slices, as would occur in a stack of toast. As toast
racks became more and more popular and households, the designs began to change
to keep up with prevailing fashion of the period. The dividers were often made
of silver or wire, in various shapes and sizes. Later additions made to the
design of the toast rack include feet for the base to rest on, removable bases
to dispose of crumbs, expanding/folding dividers to minimize storage space, and
egg and marmalade cups. Christopher Dresser is the designer known for his
innovative rendition of the toast rack, which, in terms of design, was well
beyond its time. Dresser known by some as on of the fathers of modern design,
studied at the Government School of Design in Glasgow and was one of the most
influential designers of his time. Replicas and toast racks influenced by
Dresser’s designs are still being sold to consumers today.
Sources:
http://www.designboom.com/history/dresser.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_rack
No comments:
Post a Comment