Pa. German Waffle Iron c. 1938

Roy Weber made this drawing of a Pennsylvania German waffle iron, and the object that would have been cooked by it, during his lifetime, sometime between 1855 and 1995. I can almost feel the heat radiating off the iron, smell the batter sizzling. Weber's drawing captures the weight of the iron, the delicate pattern it imprints onto the waffle. I can imagine him studying it, tracing the lines of the heart-shaped design, thinking about the hands that made it, the families that gathered around to eat the waffles it produced. In artmaking, the hand is a conduit, isn’t it? Weber's hand, guided by his eye and his heart, channels the essence of this humble object. He shares with us the stories embedded within it. The waffle iron becomes more than just a kitchen tool; it becomes a symbol of home, of tradition, of love. It reminds me of the way we can transform the mundane into the sacred through art, celebrating the beauty and significance of everyday life.