Enamelware
Enamelware was the first mass-produced American kitchenware.
Production began in the 1870s, and continued through the 1930s.
Items such as pots, kettles baking tins, and ladles were stamped from thin sheets of iron, steel, or aluminum, then coated with enamel, which was fused to the metal in a very hot oven.
Much lighter than the average kitchenware, easier to clean and less fragile than china, enamelware was very popular.
Enamelware usually came in blue, red, purple, brown, green, pink, gray and white.
Patterns were as varied as the colors; besides the familiar swirls, mottles, speckles, shades, and solids. Some pieces sported a festive jumble of colors collectors call “end of day,” because it was made with a mix of leftover glazes.
White was the most produced color. Usually the whites had a blue or red rim.
Many pieces that survived home life at the turn of the century were lost to World War II scrap-metal drives,.
The once plentiful kitchenware is now harder to find.
As it was not precious when made, it was common not to mark the pieces.
Enamelware was manufactured again in the US during the 1960s, and is produced in various locations around the world today.
