The matter of identifying makers is evident in these objects made partially of brass with additional parts of iron. All of them were made by Peter Derr in the mid first half of the nineteenth century. The Betty Lamp and the dough scraper are stamped with his name or initials, and the year they were made. The tall lamp in the center is attributed to him because similar signed examples are known to exist. Courtesy Dr. George Scott. Betty Lamps were often finished in bright metal and are usually considered to be the product of the whitesmith. They were more noted for their smoke than their light; however they were important objects of iron and no colonial setting seems complete without one. p. 64-65, "Early American Ironware" Henry J. Kauffman, 1966.
Iron scraper for dough board. Courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Provenance
Photographs from the estate of Henry Kauffman. This photograph may not be reprosuded in any medium including television, without specific written premission from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Neg. # 112910. Accession number 37.134.9.
