Historical information

This is a lump of beeswax that has been used to polish and clean old flat irons. Beeswax is a natural product made by bees to form the honeycomb in their beehives. It was used historically in many areas, including candle making, bow making, cosmetics production, bullet-making and modelling. It still has many commercial uses today. Flat irons were metal objects that had a flat polished surface and were heated to iron material and garments. The beeswax assisted in keeping the polished surface clean and shiny.

Significance

This piece of beeswax comes from a local source but the full provenance is not known. It is important to keep it in the collection as an adjunct to the Historical Society’s collection of sad and flat irons from the past.

Physical description

This is a lump of beeswax in a round shape with one end broken across to reveal the inner part of the beeswax. The outer part is somewhat stained.