The spirit iron from the museum collection was manufactured in Germany in the 19th century. Such irons operated according to the same principle as kerosene lamps. At first, the burner was removed from the iron. Alcohol was poured into it and ignited. When the entire burner heated, it was inserted back into the iron.
The soleplate was heated evenly in about 10 minutes. At the end of ironing, the burner was removed once again, and the flame was extinguished. The advantages of these spirit irons included their quick heating, odorless operation, lack of smoke or soot formation, and overall safety.
In the Russian Empire, such spirit irons were advertised in publications, including the “Niva” magazine of Adolf Fyodorovich Marx. However, despite the advertising, these technical novelties did not catch on in Russia. Spirit irons were expensive and unaffordable for most. To iron one shirt, one would need a full glass of rubbing alcohol, which could only be purchased at a pharmacy. This also prevented spirit irons from becoming popular.
It is estimated that around two thousand spirit irons were imported to the Russian Empire from Europe, but many of them were never sold. The cost of a spirit iron varied depending on the model and size and could reach 10 rubles at the turn of the 20th century. To put that into perspective, the rent of a furnished room with central heating in Moscow was 5 rubles per month. An ordinary charcoal device made of cast iron cost around 1 ruble.
At the turn of the 20th century, having a clothes iron was considered a sign of prosperity. It was often displayed on a tablecloth next to a samovar. Irons were passed down to next generations as heirlooms and given as a dowry. In Nizhny Lomov, people used both traditional iron models and spirit irons.
The museum exhibit has a loop-shaped wooden handle on a metal base. The entire hollow body of the iron is made of solid metal. It has two horizontal rows of 17 round holes on each side. Inside the iron, there is a burner that is a curved tube with holes. It has a screw to adjust fuel supply and is connected to a fuel tank. The fuel tank is shaped like a barrel.
