Smoothing irons have been used for centurys in the finishing of clothes. In the late 19th century the iron was more popularly used. In a humble cottage only your "sunday best" would be ironed where as in the larger country and town houses everything would be ironed from underwear to bed sheets.
 
This type of iron is somewhat more luxurious than the standard Victorian cast iron irons that are commonly seen. This iron comprises a brass casing, which would originally have housed a cast iron tablet, and a wooden handle. The handle is made from turned mahogany wood, and would have insulated from the heat, and the brass base would have been preferable to cast iron, by leaving little or no rust marks on clothes, and distributing the heat over a larger surface
 
In good condition
 
22cm x 10cm x 19cm high