Folding salad basket, photographed on April 24, 1924

Folding salad basket, photographed on April 24th, 1924. Construction mechanic and father of seven children, Mr. Henri-Léon-Xavier Gautreau created several devices praised by the domestic arts community: the broom hanger, the towel hanger, the scrubbing peeler, the coffee roaster, the wrought-iron planter pot, the household washing machine, the toaster, the drip tray, the dishcloth clip, and finally the folding lettuce basket (also called the “Gautreau system”). Its distinc¬tion lay in its vertical opening mecha¬nism, which facilitated both inserting the lettuce and emptying the basket. The last model presented an impro¬ved frame, whose structure was made up of a curved and perforated metal structure supporting an iron wire. One had simply to wrap this wire around notches to use the utensil. No special knowledge was require-red for this final production step, which lessened the women’s load. The Gautreau system was categorized as “unfinished”. Office national des recherches scientifiques et industrielles et des inventions.