# Toast Rack

- By: Christopher Dresser (Made by James Dixon & Sons Ltd. (Sheffield, England, 1835-1976))
- Date: c. 1880
- Medium: Silver
- Classification: Metalwork
- Dimensions: 14.6 × 13.7 × 10.2 cm (5 11/16 × 5 3/8 × 4 in.)
- Culture: Sheffield
- Credit line: Harry and Maribel G. Blum Endowment
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/151561)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/e0a001cb-9709-c66b-4ae3-814feacae737/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The use of sinuous coils differentiates this toast rack from Christopher Dresser’s more angular silver designs. In an era increasingly dominated by cheaply produced, low-quality goods, designers began considering how to improve both the design of objects and the conditions of the workers who made them. As a proponent for English design reform, Dresser sought to make high-quality goods in a variety of styles to appeal to a wide range of customers. This softer model may have enticed consumers who were not quite ready for the pointed starkness in some of Dresser’s more radical designs.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0