Toast to The Bride is hand constructed out of copper with a nickel-plated finish. It features polished black nylon ends. While the quilted white satin interior could be like a jewel box, it could also be a coffin. When I was growing up, marriage was the first step in limiting a woman’s potential.
Dimensions: 6.5" H x 5" W (closed and 13" open) x 7" D
Available for exhibition or purchase.
As the toaster opens, the bride (standing on a pedestal of Wonder Bread) rises from the quilted white satin interior. This mechanism is based on a Victorian Biscuit Warmer (as seen below).
Design and historical inspiration behind “Toast to the Bride”
Many of "The Family of Appliances You Can Believe In" were inspired by vintage 20th century ads that "sold" domestic bliss as in this vintage ad for a Sunbeam Toaster from a mid-20th century women's magazine.
This article from a mid-20th century women’s magazine showcases early industrial designers and the domestic appliances that benefited from their design innovations.
© Harriete Estel Berman, 1982, 2021