1923 Reading Stove Works Sunshine Cabinet No. 83-20 Blue-Gray Enamel Antique Range

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An exceptionally scarce Reading Stove Works Sunshine Cabinet No. 83-20 kitchen range with No. 1-C High Closet, documented in the … Read more An exceptionally scarce Reading Stove Works Sunshine Cabinet No. 83-20 kitchen range with No. 1-C High Closet, documented in the company’s 1923 Sunshine Stoves and Ranges factory catalog.

Manufactured by Reading Stove Works, Orr, Painter & Co. of Reading, Pennsylvania, this substantial six-cover range features a striking blue-gray porcelain-enamel finish, ornate nickel-plated trim, elevated warming closet, cast-iron cooking surface and large oven door prominently embossed SUNSHINE.

The manufacturer’s 1923 catalog illustrates this distinctive configuration as the “Sunshine Cabinet With No. 1-C High Closet” and documents the range as available in gray enamel as well as blue, green, brown and black.

The stove’s dimensions and construction correspond closely with the factory specifications for the No. 83-20. Reading listed the 83-20 with an approximately 41-inch top, six 8-inch covers and a 20 × 19-inch oven. This example measures approximately 40.5 inches wide, and its oven measures 20 inches wide × 19 inches deep, providing unusually strong physical corroboration of the catalog identification.

The architectural high closet is particularly striking, with its rounded warming compartment, decorative supports and polished metalwork creating an impressive silhouette approximately 63 inches high.

Extensive research has not located another documented surviving Sunshine Cabinet No. 83-20 with No. 1-C High Closet in this configuration, making this an exceptionally uncommon opportunity for a collector, historic interior or design project.

Beyond its significance as an early American kitchen appliance, the range is an extraordinary decorative object. Its blue-gray enamel and aged metal surfaces would make a dramatic focal point in an English Country, Americana, historic farmhouse, collected, maximalist or Old World interior, as well as a restaurant, bakery, boutique or hospitality setting.

Original manufacturer markings include:

READING STOVE WORKS
ORR PAINTER & CO.
READING, PA

Period factory catalog documentation is pictured for identification and reference; the original catalog is not included with the stove. See less