December, 1918 
45 
An ancient Ro¬ 
man brazier was 
probably the in¬ 
spiration for this 
nth Century 
Italian foot 
warmer 
KEEPING WARM IN A COLONIAL WINTER 
How They Used Warming Pans and Foot Warmers 
GEORGE WILSON JENNINGS 
Early English 
bed warmer 
etched quaint 
W HEN Sancho Panza wrote 
his famous story about rest 
and sleep he may have had, 
in his mind, a vision of the good, 
old-fashioned warming pan. But 
that was many years before the de¬ 
vice came into use, many years be¬ 
fore it was introduced into the 
homes of England and the houses in 
this country. Even in those early 
days a warm bed was a mark of 
hospitality to a guest! 
Stone water jugs were used from 
early times but the real luxury of a 
warm bed was not attained until 
warming pans came into use. 
The Warming Pan 
The pan or bowl is usually made 
of copper and is circular in shape, 
about 12" in diameter and 4" deep. 
It has a hinged top or cover which 
is perforated and on which are 
designs in landscape scenes inter¬ 
mingled with many of the old-fashioned flowers of 
our grandmothers’ day—phlox, Sweet William, bleed¬ 
ing heart and marigold. The handle is about 4' in 
length and was sometimes made of oak, although 
the better quality warming pans usually had a ma¬ 
hogany handle richly carved in ornate designs. 
This adjunct to the household of other days always 
hung by the open fireplace where it was “right 
handy” to be mustered into service at any time. It 
was always kept highly polished and formed, as it 
hung on the wall, a cheerful disc to reflect the light 
of the glowing fire. 
In Colonial days fire was rarely laid in the sleep¬ 
ing rooms at night, although fireplaces were usually 
provided. So the warming pan was used to warm 
the beds before they were occupied. Anyone who 
has experienced the trying cold 
of a New England house in win¬ 
ter can form some idea of what 
this article did for comfort. The 
chilling entrance into the icy-cold 
bedroom was somewhat mitigated 
when one slipped into the warm 
sheets. For that was how the 
pan was used—it would be filled 
with coals from the big fire down 
stairs and pushed about between 
the sheets, constantly and rapidly 
to prevent scorching the linen. 
(And they used linen sheets in 
those days, real linen sheets, than 
which nothing can be colder!) 
Today, of course, the hot 
water bottle and the electric 
heating pad have taken the place 
of this Colonial adjunct, but 
there are still homes in New Eng¬ 
land where the warming pan is 
kept in constant use on cold 
nights. ^ 
Its English Source 
The idea of this convenient luxury originated in 
England about the year 1740. Almost every English 
home possessed a warming pan and some big houses 
boasted as many as six, all kept busy in the winter 
season at the bedtime hour. 
A London paper many years ago gave a descrip¬ 
tion of a famous warming pan presented to Queen 
Victoria soon after her marriage to Prince Albert. 
This was especially made for the Queen by a well- 
known silversmith in Cheapside. The bowl was of 
silver and the hinged top of gold, bearing the English 
coat of arms. The handle was ebony. It was con¬ 
sidered the finest example of a warming pan ever 
made. 
In 1750 Ebenezer Coffin of “The Crown & Bee¬ 
hive,” Cornhill, Boston, imported 200 warming pans. 
He did not foresee that the day would come when 
they would fetch a good price; in fact, he thought 
little about the matter save to rid himself of what 
appeared a bad purchase. So he composed a long 
advertisement that appeared the same year in one 
of the Boston papers in which these articles were 
offered “very cheap for cash or short credit.” The 
price was £1 each! Today a good warming pan at 
an antique dealer’s will fetch anywhere from $15 
to $40. If you are fortunate, you may pick up one 
occasionally in the country, direct from the owner, for 
a somewhat lower price. 
Two fine warming pans are found at Mount Ver¬ 
non. Both are of English make. One has etched on 
the cover a design representing a basket of fruit and 
has an English birch handle. The other is oblong 
in shape, which is rather rare in this country, and 
has on its cover a basket of old-fashioned flowers, 
and a mahogany handle. Evidently the Father of 
His Country appreciated a warm bed and made 
generous use of these methods of getting one. 
During Lafayette’s visit to America in 1825, he 
made a tour of New England and was entertained 
at one of the famous houses in Portsmouth, N. H. 
Foot warmer of 
early 18 th Century 
American make 
Early American 
warming pans 
with hinged tob 
It was at this home, so the legend runs, that he saw 
a warming pan for the first time. He was being 
shown over the kitchen, with its rows of pewter, 
copper and brass pots, and later enjoyed the luxury 
of a bed made comfortable with a warming pan. 
Turning to his hostess—a lady of French descent 
and quite a linguist—he remarked fervidly, “La 
maison Americaine est ideal!” Upon his departure 
his delighted hostess presented him with an English 
warming pan, and it is said that when he returned 
home he introduced the device into a number of 
French households. 
Colonial Foot Warmers 
Our Colonial forefathers had other simple methods 
of heating which we, in a coalless winter, might well 
envy. There was the foot warmer, for instance, a 
wooden frame holding a pierced tin box in which 
the coals were laid. These Colonial braziers were 
set in rooms or taken in coaches. An iron handle 
made them readily carried about. 
In Colonial times the fact that the church was cold 
was no excuse for failing to attend divine worship, 
and our forefathers got around the discomfort by 
taking with them small flat foot warmers, one of 
which is illustrated here. These were set in the bot¬ 
tom of the big box pew, the door was closed to keep 
drafts off the feet, driving robes were wrapped about 
stockinged legs, and the master of the house slept 
comfortably through the sermon! 
Both warning pans and foot warmers were useful as 
well as ornamental pieces of furnishing. The traveler, 
the invalid as well as the luxury-loving have been 
thankful for them. Their burnished faces added to the 
stern glory of Colonial interiors. Let us not forget 
their humble service when we chance to pick one up in 
the antique shop. For although we have more mod¬ 
ern devices for heating, the warming pan can still be 
made an attractive decoration by the fireplace in a 
Colonial room. With the handle removed and with 
a wrought iron stand in which to 
set it, the pan will make a delight¬ 
ful brazier. And braziers, by the 
bye, are returning in favor—for 
flower holders, at least. 
One occasionally sees the less 
attractive portable foot warmer 
put to an esthetic use. A fine box 
is inserted in the wooden frame 
behind the perforated tin side, 
and filled with flowers. Ivy takes 
naturally to the handle and the 
aged household utensil eventually 
is smothered in foliage. 
Thus do these old objects come 
down to us. Valuable in their 
time, they can be of value to us 
now if we understand their his¬ 
tory and their present day deco¬ 
rative possibilities. 
Three early English warm¬ 
ing pans. Note perforated 
and etched top 
Early American portable 
foot warmers. Courtesy, 
Metropolitan Museum 
