20 Everyday Objects
Transparent, bluish glass kettle with a glass lid and with a glass handle connected by a metal band and bracket.
1939

Pyrex Flameware Kettle

Designed by
Paul V. Gardner (c. 1908–1994)
Material
Pyrex glass, stainless steel
Produced by
Corning Glass Works, Corning, New York
Dimensions
18.5 x 25.5 x 20.5 cm

The Liliane and David M. Stewart Program for Modern Design, 2013.18

Corning introduced the Flameware line of Pyrex glass in 1936. Unlike the company’s long-established bakeware, this new line was durable enough for heating on the stovetop. It also offered the advantage of allowing the user to see the water boiling through the clear glass.

This kettle was selected for MoMA’s Useful Objects in Wartime exhibition of 1942–43. Its simple utilitarian form without decoration met the criteria for Good Design, plus, with the exception of the metal band, it was made of a material that was not restricted for wartime use.