Electricity for the home was a relatively new luxury when the Manning-Bowman Company started making streamlined electric serving utensils that expressed modernity. Shiny chrome plating was a popular decorative embellishment on motorcars of the period, and molded Bakelite was one of the first plastics made from synthetic components. A nonconductive and heat-resistant material, Bakelite found application in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings, and, as here, kitchenware. The percolator was actually invented in the 18th century, long before household electricity was available. Electroplating with chrome was developed by 1848, but it wasn’t until 1924 that improvements in the process led to its widespread use.