Flat Iron Holder c. 1937

Salvatore Borrazzo rendered this ‘Flat Iron Holder’ in a drawing, the dimensions of which are 22.7 x 29 cm. At the time Borrazzo was working, there was an increased interest in documenting everyday objects. Consider the cultural status of labor, particularly women’s labor, which is embedded in the history of tools like this flat iron. Its design, like many domestic tools, reflects both utility and the cultural values placed on homemaking. The drawing presents the object with precision, detailing its form and design, and inviting a dialogue between the aesthetics of design and the social narratives of labor and domesticity. It reminds us that even mundane objects carry stories of identity, gender, and class, interwoven with the broader narrative of cultural history.