Alonzo Blanchard
Radiator Parlor Stove modeled as a figure of George Washington

Radiator Parlor Stove modeled as a figure of George Washington

Public Domain

Radiator Parlor Stove modeled as a figure of George Washington
DesignerAmerican, 1799–1864
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Radiator Parlor Stove modeled as a figure of George Washington
Datec. 1843–1900
Made inThe Bronx, New York, United States
MediumCast iron and paint
Dimensions48 × 14 1/4 × 10 1/8 in. (121.9 × 36.2 × 25.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by John L. Nau III at "One Great Night in November, 2019"
Object numberB.2019.12
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Folk Art Porch
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

The first significant production of cast-iron stoves in the American colonies was in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in the five-plate or jamb stove configuration by which a fire in one room was used to heat an adjoining room by means of the stove projecting through the wall. Freestanding six-plate stoves were in production by the 1740s.

In the early 19th century, stove production began in Albany and Troy, New York. Proximity to the necessary raw materials, to important markets, and to the Erie Canal after its opening in 1825 combined to support a flourishing industry in cast-iron heating and cooking stoves. Woodworking craftsmen and carvers made the patterns required for the elaborate, even extravagant, stoves that drew on contemporary architectural and decorative design.

In 1841, Albany cabinetmaker Alonzo Blanchard patented a “radiator parlor stove” (essentially a radiator connected to a stove in another room) in the form of a cast-iron figure. In 1843, he received a patent for a figure of Washington to be used this way, or as an “ornament.” The figure was described at length in the patent application, which was accompanied by a cast-lead model. Some such figures are marked with the patent date; others are not and are presumed to be the products of the J. L. Mott Iron Works of New York, whether by agreement or by piracy of the design is unknown. Blanchard’s design suggests his familiarity with the 1826 sculpture of Washington by Francis Leggatt Chantrey for the Massachusetts State House in Boston, which depicts the subject in a similar pose and with a similar combination of contemporary costume and classical drapery.


Provenance[Skinner, Boston, November 3, 2018, Sale 3167B, lot 189]; […]; [Stair Galleries, Hudson, New York, August 3, 2019, lot 19]; purchased by MFAH, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
[no marks]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Washington Vase
Jordan L. Mott
c. 1862
Cast iron
B.80.2
Pair of Andirons
c. 1840–1900
Cast iron, painted
B.92.10.1,.2
Fireback
c. 1759–1760
Cast iron
B.58.94
Coal Grate
c. 1790–1800
Brass and cast iron
B.69.370
Coal Scuttle
c. 1850
Cast iron
B.77.45
Umbrella Stand
c. 1880–1920
Walnut, cast iron
B.78.52
scan from file photograph
c. 1790–1810
Brass and cast iron
B.61.93.1,.2
Bandolier with ornaments
1900–1950
Leather, gourd, iron, wood, gold leaf, cast gold, and repoussé sheet gold
97.743
Cooking Pot
Timo Sarpaneva
Designed 1960
Cast iron, enamel, and teak
98.526.A-.C
La Fée aux fleurs
Mathurin Moreau
1870-1900
cast iron
2012.560
Letter Knife
Gorham Manufacturing Company
1902
Sterling silver with cast iron Tsuba
2004.1298