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* Original Painted Surface: hand polychromed with a few age wear spots.
* Material: Cast Iron
* Overall Size: Depth 3.75", by 4" in height, by 3.75" base width.
* Its Age and Maker: Maker is unknown and its age is circa 1920 to 1930's
Rare Miniature 1920's cast Iron Door Wedge
A Note of Interest: In the U.S. and Canada, the golden period for cast iron doorstops was the circa 1910's through to the 1930's. American companies such as Hubley, Bradley & Hubbard, and the Albany Foundry produced a multitude of these decorative cast iron doorstops in the form of animals, flowers, houses, and people.
It's now a known fact that many of these cast iron artifacts were sometimes hidden away from the casual view of house guests and officials so as to not having to be sent for the first and second World War effort, but then casually reappeared in open view again after the second World War ended. It should also be noted that a plethora of later post-war cast iron reproductions have flooded the antiques marketplace since then, but their values are not equivalent to the earlier authentic cast iron doorstops and wedges of the war years.
In the 1920's through to the 1930's, Companies like Hubley, Bradley & Hubbard, and the Albany Foundry produced a multitude of decorative cast iron doorstops in the form of animals, flowers, houses, and people.
They were often painted in bright polychrome colours and sold through department stores, hardware stores, and mail catalogs.
The war impact: During both World Wars, iron was rationed and reserved for armaments and machinery for the war effort. Production of decorative cast iron items during the war years dropped sharply, replaced by utilitarian goods made from cheaper less essential materials, such as wood, tin or pressed steel.
It was the years between the two world wars that once again produced an abundance of these colourful door stops and wedges. By the late 1940s, when the war restrictions eased, aluminum and other lighter metals started to replace cast iron for many household items.
Door wedges: The shift to smaller, practical cast iron figures that doubled as doorstops happened around the mid 1920s to the 1930s, just as the bigger ornamental doorstops were becoming less practical, as doors and construction methods changed, reducing the need for very heavy doorstops.
Makers simply scaled down their molds, often using similar animal or floral motifs, but gave them slanted rear bases that acted as a door wedge. These were both decorative and cheaper to make during the 'depression years' since they used less iron, less polychrome paint and less time to produce.
There wasn’t a single company or cast iron producer tied to the idea of downsizing items like these. It was more of an industry adaptation that was led by the same companies already making decorative cast iron items. Hubley and the Albany Foundry are most often cited in collector references as introducing these smaller wedge forms during the 1920s and 30s. You have our guarantee that the door wedge displayed herein is an original and authentic cast iron door wedge from the 1920's and 30's.
Rare Artifacts Ref No:8TX25BVO-S/TOEX
1920's Hand Polychromed Cast Iron Door Wedge
Updated September 23, 2025 |
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