Utter's Parlor Game

Sometimes you just have to know what you're looking for, and then you find it.

In my last post, I shared images of a whatsit device that was labeled "Parlor Game." At that point, I had found only the base. Fortunately, the base was clearly labeled with the product name and the manufacturer's name, allowing me to find this great illustration of what the complete device (a space heater) should look like.

Advertisement in The Metal Worker, 22 September 1894.

Today, as I as working on the inventory for the probate court, I suddenly realized that the missing parts of the Parlor Game were right in front of me. It's amazing how something can go from being a mysterious whatsit to an obvious and easily identified contraption.

Here is the completed Parlor Game, which comes in three sections:

The two top sections.

The burner, on the top of the base.

So what does one do with a Victorian oil heater? If you're courageous and mechanically inclined, you could fix it up and get it working again. If it gets refinished, it would make a great movie prop. Maybe there's a museum of parlor stoves. Or maybe a steampunk artist will be inspired to convert it into a fantastical device.