Object size: 80.5 x 115.0 x 33.0 cm
This is a folding wooden ironing board that was used in the 1960s. While ironing has been practiced for centuries, the ironing board is a 19th century invention. Previously, ironing had been done with cloth held taut between two people, or small smoothing boards that could be balanced on one’s lap. Other surfaces such as a table or a board balanced on chairs have also been documented for use when ironing. The invention of the folding ironing board in the mid-19th century meant that the board could stand on its own. The first patent for an ironing board was issued in 1858 for W. Vandenburg and J. Harvey; their board facilitated pressing men's clothing such as sleeves and pant legs. The forerunner to the modern ironing board with collapsible legs was patented in 1892 by Sarah Boone, who had been born to enslaved parents in North Carolina. After she gained her freedom, she worked as a dressmaker. Her ironing board catered to women's garments as well as men's coats and was designed to be cheap, simple, and convenient. Early manufactured ironing boards were made of wood, with later boards being made of iron and metal. This ironing board was used by a Chinese family in Singapore in the 1960s, highlighting the ubiquity of the invention today.
