this charming, "papa bear" tea kettle is soooooo big! let me repeat: soooooo big! i've been in a lot of antique stores and never seen one this size. this seems apt, since i found this big ol' tea kettle in texas. and you know what texans says--everything's bigger in texas.
picture this on a front porch with a fern or green plant sitting inside.
it makes a wonderful decor piece, whether on a coffee table or dining table with a potful of colorful flowers inside or on top of a cabinet, holding a pot of trailing ivy.
the tea kettle is pretty on its own as vintage decor on a countertop, shelf, or cabinet top.
you might use it as a unique door stop.
the kettle is a revere brand, so made with top quality. at each side of the sturdy handle's base, it features a plate with three rivets and says "revere."
my research shows that the kettle is probably nickel-dipped, solid copper and that it's perhaps as old as the 1920s. can you fathom that? it may be a whole century old!
in the old days, a kettle like this was sometimes called a "vaporizer" and might help sick ones in the household. a mom or grandma might boil water with mineral oils like camphor or eucalyptus, and the steam helped stuffed-up noses breathe more easily.
the kettle shows some dings and imperfections and overall aging. but the bottom is flat. the wood handle is intact and looks great. the metal part of the handle shows a matte patina, no longer shiny, but not affecting its sturdiness. its lid and knob look in good condition. i believe the knob is wood. the knob is still secure and not wobbly.
the interior shows some age-affected conditions. it appears stained by water and/or dirt, but it is not rusty or rusted through, as most old tea kettles are. someone may have had a plant with dirt inside, so i think some of the coloring is a result. please look at the photos.
i did not attempt to scrub the inside or outside of the kettle or to use any cleaning products on the kettle. since it's heavy-duty copper, i believe the right products might restore the interior. you could see this sitting on a modern-day wood stove, keeping the hot water ready and adding humidity to a winter-dry household.
the bottom of the kettle shows the effects of age and heat, with blackening, but again, still intact and not rusted through or with any major damage.
i found this extra-special vintage item way down south in corsicana, texas. the shopowner told me this was oil country and that during its boom days, the small town was once known for having the highest-income-per-person in the whole country. she winked and said that was why they had some pretty darned great antiques, because people could afford to buy nice things.
size: about 13" wide from the spout to the other side of the kettle and about 12" tall from the fully-raised handle to the kettle's bottom; the main body of the kettle is about 7" tall (about 9" tall from the knob to the kettle's bottom); the kettle bottom's diameter is a huge 10-1/2" diameter; the lid is about a 4-1/2" diameter; the handle is 8" at its widest and 6" tall when raised up fully
vintage item, as-is
