Skillet, circa 1890

When enamel-coated ironware was introduced in 1874, manufacturers marketed its durability and handsome mottled gray surface--the origin of its common name, "graniteware." Graniteware was also more lightweight than cast iron and would not rust or corrode, like tinware. Though most graniteware was eventually replaced by enamel-coated steel (introduced in the 1890s) it could be found in American kitchens well into the 1900s.