HOUSE AND GARDEN 
November, 1911 
297 
Bellows of 
good design 
i n repousse 
brass. May 
be had with 
long handles 
for $8.25 
lining are integral component parts of the fire¬ 
place proper and are not to be classed as fur¬ 
nishings, hut as elements of the thing itself. 
After they are in place, the andirons or some 
other device must first be installed to serve the 
same primary purpose, which is to raise the fuel 
from the underfire or floor to obtain draft and 
aid combustion. But we are more than likely to 
develop a strong preference for the andirons 
over and above any substitute that may be of¬ 
fered for them. 
Broadly speaking, all andirons made to-day 
are either antique or modern. There is nothing 
medieval, because of the years of obscurity 
through which the fireplace passed. Andirons 
have very carefully defined classifications as to 
periods and styles and no mistake in room deco¬ 
ration is more repulsive to those versed in period 
work than to permit the andirons to be out of 
keeping with the period of the room. The good 
old-fashioned andirons with their fine simplicity 
of line are yet 
to be excelled 
in beauty and 
although much 
[ L of the modern 
work is based on Colonial model¬ 
ing, none of it is better than 
the original. Genuine antiques 
are becoming rarer all the time, 
but modern manufacturing 
methods make good the scarcity 
of originals by supplying the 
original forms with entire faith¬ 
fulness, except that in the olden 
days the andirons were generally 
of solid material while now they 
are usually hollow, but every bit 
as good in service. 
While brass was the correct 
thing for the andirons of the 
Colonial parlor or dining room, 
hand wrought iron served every 
purpose in the old New England 
kitchen fireplace, which, by the 
way, has given us the pattern for 
A good combination in iron of 
basket; this last can 
There is a limitless variety of good Colonial pat¬ 
terns. Such andirons cost from $7.50 to $20 
much of our best 
modern fireplace 
arrangement. In 
many i n s t a n- 
ces these and- 
irons were al¬ 
most devoid of 
o rnamental 
c h a racteristics, 
but they were 
always graceful, 
no matter how 
simple they 
were. The steel 
andirons have 
various finishes, 
and while not 
as closely de¬ 
fined in their pe¬ 
riod affiliations 
as some of the 
others, they are 
still most practi¬ 
cal and suitable 
for many fire¬ 
places, particu¬ 
larly those con¬ 
structed from 
modern rough 
surfaced brick in 
i t s numerous 
colorings. 
Next to the 
andirons, the 
fireplace’s tool 
set is perhaps its 
most useful com¬ 
panion. When 
o se t The old English seat fender with its upholstered 
consis s o e top, is pulled out from the hearth and used as 
stand, shovel. a settee 
tongs and poker, and a long han¬ 
dled brush is sometimes added. 
The correct place for the tool 
set and its stand is just at the 
side of the opening, but those 
who want the tool set without giv¬ 
ing floor space to the stand can 
accomplish their desire by using 
the old-fashioned jamb hooks, 
which are set in the brick work at 
the side of the opening. These 
hooks can be had to match many 
of the antique outfits, but never 
were commonly used with the 
brass sets. A good stand with its 
outfit is always ornamental and 
does much to add to the old-fash¬ 
ioned atmosphere. Period work 
is also carried out in the sets, but 
with less variety than in the and¬ 
irons. In placing fire tools the 
jamb hook lias a distinct advan¬ 
tage over the stand in that it re¬ 
quires no floor space and cannot 
be tipped over. 
It is of course not necessary to buy the tools in complete sets, 
although they are usually found in that way. Among the sepa¬ 
rate tools that have recently become popular is a trident poker, 42 
inches long, and made wholly of wrought iron, for $6, or with 
brass handles on iron for $8 to $12. Also long tongs and shovels 
for big fireplaces can lie had as separate pieces. Since the biggest 
of the old-fashioned fireplaces were usually in the farm-house 
kitchens where iron 
was used for the fur¬ 
nishing, these larger 
implements are gen¬ 
erally of that material 
nowadays. 
It is doubtful if the 
fireplace has a more 
decorative companion 
than its screen, the 
chief usefulness of 
(Continued on page 
3 ^ 7 ) 
fire-screen, andirons, and wood 
be bought for $ 12 
A characteristic repousse brass wood-box, 
which is worth $23.50, can be matched 
with other tools 
