Fluting Iron c. 1938

Albert Geuppert rendered this fluting iron, an instrument of domestic order, with pencil and watercolor. Notice the inscription 'BEAT THIS', a bold challenge to the viewer, juxtaposed with the patent date of 1866. The act of ironing, seemingly mundane, is itself a ritualistic imposition of order, a struggle against chaos. Consider the image of the snake, shedding its skin. Ironing mirrors this act, smoothing out wrinkles and imperfections, imposing a societal 'skin' of neatness. One might trace the 'BEAT THIS' motif back to ancient heraldry, emblems emblazoned on shields as acts of defiance and declarations of prowess. This phrase, then, becomes a kind of domestic heraldry. The fluting iron transforms into a symbolic scepter, a tool of transformation. Its emotional power lies in its assertion of control, an echo of ancient power structures resonating in the everyday. Symbols persist, and resurface, don't they?