Flatiron Holder c. 1939

Bernard Westmacott, born in 1855, made this technical drawing of a flatiron holder. He lived through a period marked by industrialization and rapidly shifting gender roles, and he worked for the Index of American Design, a WPA program which sought to document American material culture. Westmacott’s image captures a tool associated with domestic labor—a space typically feminized. By meticulously recording this object, Westmacott invites us to consider the labor, often invisible, that went into maintaining the home. This flatiron holder speaks volumes about the gendered division of labor in the early 20th century. The drawing reminds us of the tactile nature of work before automation. The design, with its delicate curves and functional structure, elevates the everyday, inviting reflection on the lives and labor of those who used it. In this seemingly simple drawing, we find a complex story of gender, labor, and the American home.