Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Bowl, Mixing |
Catalog Number |
1985.130.47 |
Description |
Round stainless steel bowl made by Wittcrosse with narrow rolled edge and flat bottom. |
Year Range from |
1953 |
Year Range to |
1961 |
Provenance |
This bowl was made in La Crosse by Wittcrosse. |
Made By |
Wittcrosse |
Material |
Steel |
Dimensions |
H-2.25 Dia-5 inches |
Height (in) |
2.250 |
Place of Origin |
La Crosse, Wisconsin |
Inscription Type |
Manufacturer's Mark |
Inscription Text |
Stainless Steel Wittcrosse La Crosse, Wis. |
Inscription Location |
bottom |
Subjects |
"Things that Matter" Businesses |
Search Terms |
"Things that Matter" Wittcrosse |
Notes |
Featured in Things that Matter: Mid-century modern is a decorative style of household furnishings from the post-World War II era, a time well remembered by today’s baby boom generation. It is characterized by its clean, modernistic lines and little or no ornamentation. With a flat base, rounded sides and rolled edge, this small stainless-steel bowl is about as simple as a design can be. The bowl was made in La Crosse in the 1950s by Wittcrosse Engineering. The firm started in 1950 at 3235 George St., beginning as the La Crosse Tool and Die Company. It soon became Wittcrosse Engineering, the new moniker being a combination of owner Edward "Butch" Wittenberg’s surname and the city where the company was located. Wittenberg was born in La Crosse in 1897 and early in his career worked for the National Gauge Company, where he became a talented tool and die maker. He moved to Eau Claire in the 1930s to serve as the vice president of the National Presto Company for several years before returning to his hometown after World War II. Wittcrosse fabricated jigs, gauges, fixtures, tools and dies and did metal stamping. It also had a lucrative contract to manufacture modern home accessories for the noted New York design firm of Ernest Sohn Creations. For two decades, Wittcrosse maintained its association with Ernst Sohn Creations and would make tens of thousands of chafing dishes, food warmers and other metal tableware that lent an "important touch of ‘formal informality’ to hospitality." Ernest Sohn’s Wittcrosse products sold nationwide and remained popular into the 1970s. A 1952 promotional brochure for Ernest Sohn’s chafing dishes spoke highly of the La Crosse company: "Located in the center of the finest metal craftsmanship in the United States, the Wittcrosse plant has acquired the latest and most modern equipment necessary for making both stainless steel and copper equipment." The same advertisement touted its products to women "for kitchen-vacation and choreless independence from outside help, for more efficiency in your home." Playing to a stereotype of a 1950s housewife, it stated that these appliances were "designed to make life easier and more interesting to Mrs. Homemaker, her family and guests." This bowl measures five inches in diameter and stands two and a half inches high. It is probably a small mixing bowl or an individual salad bowl from a larger set. It is stamped on the bottom, "Stainless Steel, Wittcrosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin." While Wittenberg’s company made many different metal buffet accessories for Ernest Sohn, this bowl is the only example of the Wittcrosse line in the collection of the La Crosse County Historical Society. This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune. Title: Mid-century Style in Stainless Steel Author: Robert Mullen Publish Date: May 9, 2020 |