Sarah Boone was one of the first African-American women to receive a United States patent for a reversible ironing board.
Although little is known about her life, Boone's application indicates that she lived in the vicinity of New Haven, Connecticut when she received patent 473,653 on April 26, 1892.
Boone's invention, a narrow wooden platform with collapsible legs and a padded cover, was specifically designed for the fitted clothing worn during the late nineteenth century.
The contours of her reversible ironing board could accommodate both sides of a shirt's sleeves in an age without dry cleaners or washing machines. Prior to Boone's invention, clothing was ironed atop a table or across a plank of wood supported by two chairs.
Although Boone's device was not the first ironing board for which a U.S. patent was issued, her invention was an important labor-saving invention and a forerunner to the modern ironing board.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Saturday, February 25th 2012 at 4:59PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
