Made by Lalance & Grosjean Mfg. Co., New York, Chicago, and
Boston
Iron, porcelain enamel
Lalance and Grosjean Mfg. Co. was one the first American companies to make porcelain enamelwares. These wares offered a cheaper, lighter alternative to cast-iron cookware. Most makers of porcelain enamelwares marked their products with a paper label that quickly washed off. Lalance & Grosjean marked their earlier wares with the blue, burned-in enamel brand seen on this piece. "Agate Ware," their brand name, became so widely used that it served as a generic name for all enamelware. This is called a "Turk's Head" cake mold because of its similarity to the shape of a turban. The spout in the middle helped to distribute the heat to the center of the cake as it baked.
Illinois State Museum purchase (1992.38)
© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96