Vintage 1940s West Bend Stainless Steel Penguin Ice Bucket / Hot Server with Bakelite Handles and Finial B
1940s West Bend Penguin Hot and Cold Server made in West Bend, WI. Bakelite knob and handles. Embossed penguin figures around base/perimeter. For more details please scroll down to the end of this description. This listing is for the Penguin Server with Bakelite handles. Please search 'Penguin Ice Bucket" to view another ice bucket with wooden handles.
Please see https://wi101.wisc.edu/penguin-server/ for original industrial design specs and a public radio story. The following was taken from the website:
"Produced in West Bend, Wisconsin, in the 1940s, the Penguin Hot and Cold Server is an iconic object of postwar American culture. Designed to insulate both hot and cold foods, and to keep ice cubes chilled, the Penguin highlights the resurgence in home entertainment after the war, including popular leisure activities like outdoor grilling and cocktail parties.
It also offers a prime example of industrial design, changing technologies, the shifting role of women in the workforce, and the rise of a postwar consumer-driven society.
Lastly, the Penguin is a reminder of Wisconsin’s former position as the center of the aluminum cookware industry.
In 1941, inventor Ralph N. Kircher drew up the plans for the West Bend Penguin Hot and Cold Server. Taking the form of a sphere with a flattened base, the vessel’s central decorative band depicts a colony of penguins, one waddling behind the other. The shiny and reflective surface of the server (available in chrome or copper-plated steel) creates a contrast between the cover’s knob and the vessel’s handles, the latter mimicking the curvature of a penguin’s flippers."
DETAILS
Brand: West Bend
Unknown: Ralph Kircher
Color/Pattern: Silver, Brown, Animals
Period: 1940s
Styles: Mid-Century Modern, Industrial, Hollywood Regency
Place of Origin: United States
Materials: Stainless Steel, Bakelite
Condition: Very Good Vintage Condition, Original Unaltered
Damage or Points of Notice: Overall very good vintage condition with signs of wear appropriate with age and moderate use. Beautiful shine with areas of light surface wear. A very small dimple on the lid and a few minor pinpoint pitting marks along bottom / side (please see photos).
Dimensions: 9.5"W x 7.75"D x 7.75"H
Shipping
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