Mary Florence Potts (née Webber; November 1, 1850 – June 24, 1922) was an American businesswoman and inventor. She invented clothes irons with detachable wooden handles, and they were exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition World's Fair and the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Her inventions were prominent throughout North America and the European continent in the 20th century and became the most popular heavy metal irons ever made.
Potts received her first patent of an improved clothes iron at the age of 19. Her next patented invention was an improvement on that model a year later which featured a detachable wooden handle. It was produced and sold by American Machine Company as a four piece kit package of interchangeable parts. Her products were distributed through Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck and Company, and were manufactured until 1951.
Mary Florence Potts was born in Ottumwa, Iowa on November 1, 1850 to Jacob Hanec Webber (from Pennsylvania) and Anna Nancy McGinley (from Pennsylvania).[1] She married Joseph Hunt Potts, a man 17 years older than she, at the age of 17 on June 7, 1868 in Ottumwa, Iowa. Her first child was born in 1869, a son she named Oscero. Potts and her family moved from the Iowa town to Philadelphia in 1873.[2] There are two known children born to Mary and Joseph Potts, a son, Oscero and a daughter, Leona born in 1874 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.[3] By 1890, they had moved to Camden, New Jersey, where her husband and Oscero worked as chemists. Her husband predeceased her in 1901, and she became the co-owner of Potts Manufacturing Company—which produced optical goods—with Oscero by 1910.[2] She died in Baltimore on June 24, 1922 and was buried at the New Camden Cemetery, Camden, New Jersey.[4]
Inventions
Potts 1872 patent of clothes iron mechanism
Conventional 19th century all-metal irons with Potts's detachable wood-handled ones. Trivet is under the iron with white handle.
Potts is associated with improvements to the sadiron that she started making from the age of 19. The old English word of sad before the "iron" meant heavy, dense, and solid. She had her first patent in 1870 for a wooden handle clothes iron of unique construction.[5] Its design focused on convenience of use by replacing the metal handle which was prone to getting hot with a cool wooden one that was more comfortable to hold. The iron shape was double-pointed for operating in both directions and was made of hollow rather than solid metal. The flat bottom had a thick iron layer and the sides had thin sheets of iron.[6] The hollow iron was to be filled with material that was a poor conductor of heat, such as cement or clay.[7] Since her father was a plasterer by trade she experimented on filling some with a type of plaster of Paris. The advantage of these materials was that they did not radiate heat up to the user like its predecessor conventional solid metal iron did.[8]
The conventional solid metal clothes iron of the 19th century weighed around 5 to 10 pounds (2.3 to 4.5 kg) and had to be heated on a stove. It was so hot, that often a thick cloth mitt or rag was used to touch the metal handle to prevent burned fingers. A disadvantage of the conventional all-metal iron was that ironing had to stop when it would cool down and it had to be reheated.[6] Potts made improvements to her 1870 invention and devised a mechanism to work around this problem.[6] It was United States patent #113,448.[9] It consisted of a detachable wooden handle and three iron bases of different sizes that could be connected to the handle.[7] The advantage of Potts's 1871 universal standard system was that a used up cooled base could be switched out with a waiting heated base and the ironing could resume immediately.[10][11] The concept for the different sizes of the base was for the purpose of a specific ironing task.[3]
The most pronounced feature of Potts's clothes iron was the detachable rounded wooden handle.[12] That allowed the iron base to be placed on a heated stovetop and the handle removed at that time to stay away and cool while the base heated up.[13] This prevented burned fingers, that often happened with the conventional all-solid-metal clothes iron of the 19th century.[14] The design of the handle and bases were standard and could be easily reattached to various sizes after they were heated for a little delay in ironing.[7]
Potts termed herself as an "inventress" — a Victorian expression.[3] Initially, she sold her innovative clothes iron herself; it was later franchised out and manufactured by the American Machine Company of Philadelphia.[10] The company marketed the clothes iron in a kit package that contained one wooden handle mechanism that attached to three iron bases.[15] The handle could only connect to Potts's iron bases, in effect tripling sales of clothes irons over that of conventional solid metal irons.[16] The kit also contained a trivet for placing a hot base on for times of rest.[5] The Montgomery Ward catalog of 1894 offered a gift box of the Potts mechanism package for 90 cents.[17] The Potts iron package was sold for 70 cents in 1896,[5] and could be bought out of the Sears & Roebuck catalog for 78 cents in 1908.[18] The mechanism was manufactured until 1951.[10]
Mrs Potts cold wooden handle sad iron kits manufactured 1876–1950 by American Machine
American Machine Company sad iron of Potts removable detachable base with wooden handle. Note trivet that is used under the clothes iron that came with kit package of three sizes of irons .[19]
Legacy
Potts' double-pointed clothes iron became a standard household appliance widely used in the 20th century throughout North America and the European continent.[19] Her patents of various styles of clothes irons were the most popular heavy metal irons ever made.[3] The 1876 Philadelphia Exposition World's Fair displayed Potts's cold-handled sadiron.[1][20] She lectured all throughout the United States promoting her cold-handled clothing iron mechanism.[21] Her style of clothing irons became so popular that by 1891 special manufacturing machines were made that could mass produce thousands of semicircular wood handles in one day.[2][3] Her innovative clothes iron was also a favorite item at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.[22] The Pott's iron mechanism was used worldwide through the 20th century where electricity was not available.[3]
Her innovation of a removable handle mechanism in 1871 was later implemented by Gillette in 1901. Gillette applied the concept in the form of a removable and disposable blade, with the option to reinsert a sharper blade; this was a spin-off of Potts's removable cooled clothes iron base that could be reattached to a preheated base ready to go for ironing. This concept preceded the 20th century construction industry concept of portable hand tools with removable exhausted battery packs that could be reattached to fully charged batteries.[16]
^ abcJeanine Head Miller (2020). "Mrs. Potts, Inventor". Activating The Henry Ford Archive of Innovation. The Henry Ford museum. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
^ abcdefAmram, Fred M. B. (1998). "Women of Mettle". FAMILY Magazines Publishing. Retrieved October 4, 2020. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
^"Mrs. Potts dead; inventor of Iron". The Morning Post. Camden, New Jersey. June 26, 1922. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcMorgan, Carl (April 23, 1976). "Sad irons lightened work load". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Canada. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com .
Amran, Fred (May 24, 1984). "The innovative woman". New Scientist. Vol. 102, no. 1411. Reed Business Information. ISSN 0262-4079.
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (March 17, 2015). World Clothing and Fashion: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture, and Social Influence. Taylor & Francis. ISBN978-1-317-45167-9.
Patent Office, United States (1872). Specifications and Drawings of Patents Issued from the U.S. Patent Office.
Williams, Robert L. Jr.; Williams, Helena A. (April 21, 2017). Vintage Marketing Differentiation: The Origins of Marketing and Branding Strategies. Palgrave Macmillan US. ISBN978-1-137-38721-9.
Zierdt-Warshaw, Linda (January 1, 2000). Women in Technology. ABC-CLIO. ISBN978-1-57607-072-7.
mary, florence, potts, née, webber, november, 1850, june, 1922, american, businesswoman, inventor, invented, clothes, irons, with, detachable, wooden, handles, they, were, exhibited, 1876, philadelphia, exposition, world, fair, 1893, chicago, world, fair, inve. Mary Florence Potts nee Webber November 1 1850 June 24 1922 was an American businesswoman and inventor She invented clothes irons with detachable wooden handles and they were exhibited at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition World s Fair and the 1893 Chicago World s Fair Her inventions were prominent throughout North America and the European continent in the 20th century and became the most popular heavy metal irons ever made Mary Florence PottsMary Florence Potts ca 1895BornMary Florence WebberNovember 1 1850Ottumwa Iowa U S DiedJune 24 1922 aged 71 Baltimore Maryland U S Resting placeNew Camden CemeteryNationalityAmericanOccupation s Businesswoman and inventorKnown forInnovating mechanism of clothes ironNotable workPotts s clothes ironSpousesJoseph Hunt PottsChildren2Potts received her first patent of an improved clothes iron at the age of 19 Her next patented invention was an improvement on that model a year later which featured a detachable wooden handle It was produced and sold by American Machine Company as a four piece kit package of interchangeable parts Her products were distributed through Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck and Company and were manufactured until 1951 Contents 1 Biography 2 Inventions 3 Legacy 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External linksBiography EditMary Florence Potts was born in Ottumwa Iowa on November 1 1850 to Jacob Hanec Webber from Pennsylvania and Anna Nancy McGinley from Pennsylvania 1 She married Joseph Hunt Potts a man 17 years older than she at the age of 17 on June 7 1868 in Ottumwa Iowa Her first child was born in 1869 a son she named Oscero Potts and her family moved from the Iowa town to Philadelphia in 1873 2 There are two known children born to Mary and Joseph Potts a son Oscero and a daughter Leona born in 1874 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania 3 By 1890 they had moved to Camden New Jersey where her husband and Oscero worked as chemists Her husband predeceased her in 1901 and she became the co owner of Potts Manufacturing Company which produced optical goods with Oscero by 1910 2 She died in Baltimore on June 24 1922 and was buried at the New Camden Cemetery Camden New Jersey 4 Inventions Edit Potts 1872 patent of clothes iron mechanism Conventional 19th century all metal irons with Potts s detachable wood handled ones Trivet is under the iron with white handle Potts is associated with improvements to the sadiron that she started making from the age of 19 The old English word of sad before the iron meant heavy dense and solid She had her first patent in 1870 for a wooden handle clothes iron of unique construction 5 Its design focused on convenience of use by replacing the metal handle which was prone to getting hot with a cool wooden one that was more comfortable to hold The iron shape was double pointed for operating in both directions and was made of hollow rather than solid metal The flat bottom had a thick iron layer and the sides had thin sheets of iron 6 The hollow iron was to be filled with material that was a poor conductor of heat such as cement or clay 7 Since her father was a plasterer by trade she experimented on filling some with a type of plaster of Paris The advantage of these materials was that they did not radiate heat up to the user like its predecessor conventional solid metal iron did 8 The conventional solid metal clothes iron of the 19th century weighed around 5 to 10 pounds 2 3 to 4 5 kg and had to be heated on a stove It was so hot that often a thick cloth mitt or rag was used to touch the metal handle to prevent burned fingers A disadvantage of the conventional all metal iron was that ironing had to stop when it would cool down and it had to be reheated 6 Potts made improvements to her 1870 invention and devised a mechanism to work around this problem 6 It was United States patent 113 448 9 It consisted of a detachable wooden handle and three iron bases of different sizes that could be connected to the handle 7 The advantage of Potts s 1871 universal standard system was that a used up cooled base could be switched out with a waiting heated base and the ironing could resume immediately 10 11 The concept for the different sizes of the base was for the purpose of a specific ironing task 3 The most pronounced feature of Potts s clothes iron was the detachable rounded wooden handle 12 That allowed the iron base to be placed on a heated stovetop and the handle removed at that time to stay away and cool while the base heated up 13 This prevented burned fingers that often happened with the conventional all solid metal clothes iron of the 19th century 14 The design of the handle and bases were standard and could be easily reattached to various sizes after they were heated for a little delay in ironing 7 Potts termed herself as an inventress a Victorian expression 3 Initially she sold her innovative clothes iron herself it was later franchised out and manufactured by the American Machine Company of Philadelphia 10 The company marketed the clothes iron in a kit package that contained one wooden handle mechanism that attached to three iron bases 15 The handle could only connect to Potts s iron bases in effect tripling sales of clothes irons over that of conventional solid metal irons 16 The kit also contained a trivet for placing a hot base on for times of rest 5 The Montgomery Ward catalog of 1894 offered a gift box of the Potts mechanism package for 90 cents 17 The Potts iron package was sold for 70 cents in 1896 5 and could be bought out of the Sears amp Roebuck catalog for 78 cents in 1908 18 The mechanism was manufactured until 1951 10 Mrs Potts cold wooden handle sad iron kits manufactured 1876 1950 by American Machine American Machine Company sad iron of Potts removable detachable base with wooden handle Note trivet that is used under the clothes iron that came with kit package of three sizes of irons 19 Legacy EditPotts double pointed clothes iron became a standard household appliance widely used in the 20th century throughout North America and the European continent 19 Her patents of various styles of clothes irons were the most popular heavy metal irons ever made 3 The 1876 Philadelphia Exposition World s Fair displayed Potts s cold handled sadiron 1 20 She lectured all throughout the United States promoting her cold handled clothing iron mechanism 21 Her style of clothing irons became so popular that by 1891 special manufacturing machines were made that could mass produce thousands of semicircular wood handles in one day 2 3 Her innovative clothes iron was also a favorite item at the 1893 Chicago World s Fair 22 The Pott s iron mechanism was used worldwide through the 20th century where electricity was not available 3 Her innovation of a removable handle mechanism in 1871 was later implemented by Gillette in 1901 Gillette applied the concept in the form of a removable and disposable blade with the option to reinsert a sharper blade this was a spin off of Potts s removable cooled clothes iron base that could be reattached to a preheated base ready to go for ironing This concept preceded the 20th century construction industry concept of portable hand tools with removable exhausted battery packs that could be reattached to fully charged batteries 16 References Edit a b Gale 2007 p 1536 a b c Jeanine Head Miller 2020 Mrs Potts Inventor Activating The Henry Ford Archive of Innovation The Henry Ford museum Retrieved September 17 2020 a b c d e f Amram Fred M B 1998 Women of Mettle FAMILY Magazines Publishing Retrieved October 4 2020 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Cite magazine requires magazine help Mrs Potts dead inventor of Iron The Morning Post Camden New Jersey June 26 1922 p 12 via Newspapers com a b c Morgan Carl April 23 1976 Sad irons lightened work load The Windsor Star Windsor Canada p 22 via Newspapers com a b c Patent Office 1872 p 571 a b c Zierdt Warshaw 2000 p 254 Patent Office 1880 pp 250 251 McLeod County Historical Society Potts s sad iron Object Record McLeod County Historical Society 2016 Retrieved September 19 2020 a b c Ladd Marsha January 11 2014 Mrs Potts s sad iron Tribune Star CNHI Retrieved May 14 2017 Williams amp Williams 2017 p 7 8 Snodgrass 2015 p 327 Williams amp Williams 2017 p 8 Mrs Potts wooden handle iron Indiana Gazette Indiana Pennsylvania January 21 1987 p 10 via Newspapers com Patent Office 1880 p 250 a b Williams amp Williams 2017 p 9 Nollen Duane July 9 2014 Do you know what this is The Oskaloosa Herald Retrieved September 18 2017 Hovelson Jack December 23 1980 Iowan collects press tigious antiques The Des Moines Register Des Moines Iowa p 11 via Newspapers com a b Brenda Lee Whiting July 11 1974 Mrs Potts had many irons near the fire The Ottawa Citizen Ottawa Canada p 61 via Newspapers com Amran 1984 p 11 Mrs Potts coming to Sycamore The Daily Chronicle De Kalb Illinois May 11 2015 p A6 via Newspapers com A Visit with Mrs Potts Costumed Interpretations Ellie Presents Retrieved May 13 2017 Bibliography EditPatent Office United States 1880 Specifications and Drawings of Patents Issued from the U S Patent Office Gale 2007 Dictionary of Women Worldwide Thomson Gale ISBN 978 0 7876 7585 1 Amran Fred May 24 1984 The innovative woman New Scientist Vol 102 no 1411 Reed Business Information ISSN 0262 4079 Snodgrass Mary Ellen March 17 2015 World Clothing and Fashion An Encyclopedia of History Culture and Social Influence Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 317 45167 9 Patent Office United States 1872 Specifications and Drawings of Patents Issued from the U S Patent Office Williams Robert L Jr Williams Helena A April 21 2017 Vintage Marketing Differentiation The Origins of Marketing and Branding Strategies Palgrave Macmillan US ISBN 978 1 137 38721 9 Zierdt Warshaw Linda January 1 2000 Women in Technology ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1 57607 072 7 External links EditMary Florence Potts at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mary Florence Potts amp oldid 1114358924, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
