The porcelain enamel finishes meant that they didn’t just come in basic black, like the stoves of the Victorian era. Along with white, colors like blue, pale yellow and green were also available. So scroll down and see what was cookin’ around 100 years ago!
Kalamazoo Emperor blue porcelain enamel range (1922)
Another Kalamazoo triumph in quality and beauty! Equipped with polished top and white enamel on oven door, splasher back and warming closet doors.
Crescent dual oven combination range (1924)
Crescent stove works — white porcelain enameled finish with a polished top.
MORE: See the elegant stove heaters that warmed stylish Victorian homes
Crescent Blue porcelain cast range (1924)
Crescent stove works — for coal or wood.
Antique kitchen ranges: The Perfection Stove (1928)
A complete range with built-in oven. Satin-black finish, nickel trim. Five “Cobalt” blue porcelain long-chimney burners — two under oven and three in a row for cooking.
The roomy cooking top, warming cabinet shelf, base shelf and oven top provide exceptionally large working and storage space for cooking utensils.
Built-in oven of the famous Perfection “Live Heat” type, with aluminum bronzed removable linings. Inside dimensions, 18-3/4 inches wide, 16-1/2 inches deep, 13-1/2 inches high. Swing door with glass front in an attractive nickel frame; large, cool Alaska-grip handle. Two sliding racks in oven, can be arranged in four different heights. Length of range, over all, 63-3/4 inches.
Hardwick cast enamel ranges (1929)
Modern in design and construction; cooking top polished to a mirror-like surface, sliding damper, duplex grates, 3-piece fire back, cushion enamel panels with accurate oven door and thermometer, concealed hinges, detachable copper reservoir, large fire box and flue, removable hot plates and many other special features combine to make this an outsiding value.
4 attractive color combinations to harmonize with any kitchen. Built of best materials and properly balanced throughout. Maximum cooking qualities and low fuel consumption are assured. Truly a wonder range in which no detail has been overlooked to provide the best at lowest cost.
Comes in green, blue, ivory tan, grey, and black.
Tappan coal and wood antique kitchen range (1929)
Full cast iron — with outer casing of smooth, durable, enameled steel. A range that meets the new demands.
Everywhere the kitchen is being reequipped with modern appliances, performance and durability are required, but also they must have beauty and color. This new Tappan has all of these, and best of all, it sells at a reasonable price.
The deep two-way flue arrangement provides heat for cooking under the entire top, the damper changing or directing the heat flow merely under the top, or under the top an all around the oven. The cooking top is smooth, polished; cast iron, oil-blued. Neatly fitted. Six 8-inch covers-one reducing ring cover.
Air ports immediately over the fire admit heated air for complete and economical combustion. Large fire box; end liners interchangeable, also the front and back liners. New enlarged two-way flue construction under top and around oven. Adjustable damper; easily operated to control eat travel.
Roomy oven, all cast iron. Built for better baking. Heavy copper contact reservoir, tinned inside; seven gallon capacity. Comes furnished in either green, blue, ivory, and white trim.
MORE: Tappan Time Machines for your kitchen (1960s)
Colonial Empire antique stove from 1929
This ever-popular range now made in three finishes. The Tan and Green porcelain finishes are extremely attractive, and extraordinary sellers.
This range is made of southern pig iron, and has a sectional top having three interchangeable hot plates with two 8-inch covers in each section.
The firebox is fitted with a three-piece ventilated fireback and reversible duplex grates for coal or wood. It has a cast iron wood extension in the rear, which adds to the length of the firebox when burning wood. The lifting device for front hot plates enables the user to broil and also is handy in putting coal of wood in the firebox.
The Tan and Green porcelain ranges are furnished with an 8-gallon copper reservoir. The white enamel trim with nickel base range is furnished with an 8-gallon galvanized reservoir. All ranges have polished top.
The Premier Range (1929)
This range is exceptionally well-proportioned and is extremely plain in design yet not too severe. It has a combination of every modern feature of utility, convenience and durability.
Built with the conventional sheet flue construction and the flues are very large and so simply constructed that this range will operate satisfactorily where other ranges fail, and will do the business required of it with less fuel. The corrugated fire box linings are made extra heavy; the top oven plate is corrugated to prevent breakage from expansion and contraction; duplex grates, removable hot plates supported by double braces.
A special cover is supplied for cooking cereals or vegetables requiring slow heat; will prevent scorching; also a convenient sectional cover; and in fact all the accessories of the very highest priced ranges. Removable contact type reservoir of seven-gallon capacity, made of heavy copper.
The closet is made of the best quality polished steel, and all the parts, as shown, are highly nickeled. The closet brackets are japanned electrically at very high temperature over a smoothly polished surface; they will not tarnish and are exceedingly pleasing to the eye.
Four styles: Square, with low shelf, with reservoir. Square, with low shelf, without reservoir. With warming closet and reservoir. With warming closet without reservoir.
Deluxe National steel range (1931)
Deluxe National series B steel range — blue porcelain enameled. For hard coal, soft coal or wood. Comes with reservoir and a high closet. National stoves and furnaces always satisfy.
MORE: The Liberator: GE Deluxe Speed-Cooking electric ranges (1955)
Comfort national cast range (1931)
Comfort National series F cast range, blue porcelain enameled. For hard coal, soft coal, wood, manufactured or natural gas, with a broiler and high closet. The fire back in this range lasts forever.
Antique kitchen ranges from National (1931)
Make cooking a pleasure and a contented household.
Quincy Stove Monogram range (1934)
With mono-dial, green and ivory color blend.
Quincy Stove Monogram range (1934)
Backguard, 1 french plate, buff and ivory color blend.
Yellow Auto Stove Works kitchen range (1935)
Green Kalamazoo kitchen stove (1936)
Tan and ivory kitchen stove (1936)
Burns hard coal (anthracite), soft coal, coke and wood.
Kazoo and Puritan steel range (1936)
The Kazoo is one of the fastest-selling steel ranges we have ever made. A leader for many years, it has made friends of many thousands of owners. Below the Kazoo is a new range which is enjoying a spectacular popularity — the beautiful new steel-and-cast-iron Puritan.
Ordered direct from the factory, at the factory price, either stove offers you such value as you can get only by buying direct from the men who make them. Take advantage, for your own benefit, of the kind of quality and value that has won for Kalamazoo nearly 900,000 customer-friends.
Green and ivory Kalamazoo stove (1936)
Bakeasy combination ovens (1936)
The Bakeasy is two complete ranges in one. It will burn hard coal or soft coal, coke or wood, natural or manufactured gas. There are four 8-inch cooking holes for the coal side; including one multiple lid and one non-scorch lid. On the gas side are four big burners each equipped with air-mixing valve.
The combination oven — this is the outstanding feature of the Bakeasy range. In it you bake with either coal or gas. Change from one to the other by simply sliding in or out a false-bottom plate that carries on its underside a big square gas burner. When using coal or wood fir, flues carry the heat to all sides of the oven.
Bungalow-type combination range — We have built this range to meet thousands of requests. Compact in size to fit modern kitchens, without sacrificing cooking-top room.
A beautiful design in modern style. The coal side is ideal for cooking for a small family or for burning papers and other refuse. It will warm your kitchen during the cold months.
Kalamazoo’s ‘The Emperor’ range (1936)
The “oven that floats in flame” makes Kalamazoo famous bakers!
The Emperor — one of the fastest selling Kalamazoo Range — has become famous because of the “oven that floats in flame.” This oven has now been improved with a scientific new ‘ripple oven bottom’, making it a more desirable range than ever from a baking standpoint.
The Emperor’s big 20-inch oven is square cornered, sealed against soot or coal gas—ventilated — and the oven bottom lined with sanitary, easy cleaning Porcelain Enamel. It is quick heating, even baking. Pastries, cakes, and pies are always successes, Roasts come out 20% juicier. Small wonder the Emperor is such a favorite with State and County prize winners!
The Emperor’s low factory price and marvelous baking ability make it an outstanding value among coal and wood Ranges. It is solidly built of the heaviest cast iron.
You may have your choice of either the plain black or full porcelain enamel finish. Glass oven door which can be supplied only on Emperor Ranges for $2.50. Will not break, and gives a clear view of every part of the oven interior.
Kalamazoo’s ‘The Peerless’ oven (1936)
The Peerless is offered in three different color combinations. One of combinations is certain to harmonize with the colors in your kitchen. Any Peerless can be had with either open lids for manufactured gas or closed lids (which are usually preferred for natural gas).
Features include a resistance spring hinge prevents oven door from slamming open or close, accurate oven door thermometer, large square burners, and handles on the fire doors made of coiled wire that are always cool to the touch.
Every housewife knows that the Good Housekeeping Institute’s seal is a guarantee of honest quality performance. It is truly a “hallmark” of quality, and as such the distinction of wearing it is very carefully guarded by Good Housekeeping magazine.
MORE: 62 beautiful vintage home designs & floor plans from the 1920s
3 Responses
Any info on a mid 30s Stewart propane stove ? I liked the article
I have a spencer wood and oil burning stove from the 20s or 30s was looking for some more info on it. My great uncle had left it in his house that I am now renovating.
HI, i JUST purchased a Royal kitchen stove, small water container in right side, several round rings in middle if top of stove, Need fire brick & want to find more about , had 4 front doors, White in color, , Ash pan has no end on, more as a scoop, THANKS from up in Ontario , Canada