~ Toast-Master Hospitality Tray, 1937
Let's talk about toast!
While researching new blankets online I fell into a toast-adjacent rabbit hole and now I am compelled to share my findings with all of you. Did you know the pop-up toaster is 100 years old? The first toaster that toasted both sides of the bread at once came out in 1913, but it had no automatic shut-off so your bread would just keep cooking until you turned it off. If you got distracted it was very easy to end up wasting bread by burning it to a crisp. When the first household pop-up toaster came out in 1926 it was considered a very modern convenience and a luxury the 20th century hostess would be proud to own. Apparently, it was also the answer to guests who decide to "drop in" because you dared to leave your lights on.
Below: a 1934 ad for the Toastmaster Hospitality Tray. A nice wooden tray to hold your fancy pop-up toaster with little glass containers for all your toppings so your guests could enjoy balancing shrimp and olives on their piece of toast. Only $21 USD! Or the equivalent of $471 today. These people really loved toast.
