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The history of door handles is relatively unknown for there is no written history or documentation of who first invented the door handle and how they were fixed to the door; we know its history is quite similar to that of doors for door handles have been around ever since doors have. The earliest records we have of doors and door handles is that seen on Egyptian tombs. The paintings on these Egyptian tombs are very clear and the doors shown are either single or double made from wood with the door handles made from wood also. Roman and Babylonian civilizations were using hinges for their doors which are still used today, in the 1900’s ball bearings were invented and door knobs could then be used using this technology.
Wooden doors and door handles carried on through colonial times. The locking of the doors on these wooden handles usually involved string and latches, quite simple in design but effective none the less. By the early 1900’s wooden door handles were becoming less popular and cast metal, porcelain, bronze, and glass door handles came into fashion. It was actually in 1878 that the first documented invention of the door handle appears in U.S by a man named Osbourn Dorsey.
The different eras throughout time show different styles and different materials of door handles, for example in Victorian times the door handles were made from cast bronze with ornamental patterns. Through France and England in the 1800’s most door handles were made from China or ceramic. From 1830-1873 there have been many patents for the different styles and forms of door handles, the differences include various materials and shapes. Still today we are constantly changing and inventing new door handle styles and forms, most door handles today are made from either iron, bronze, brass, aluminum, wrought iron, steel and stainless steel. Over the years we have developed a multitude of different finishes on the door handles, all giving a different end result. Some of these door handle finishes include brass, porcelain, glass, brass plated, bronze plated, gold plated, chrome plated, polished chrome, and satin antique nickel. The future of door handles seems to be taking us down the route of security; we now buy door handles not only to dress our doors but to keep our homes and processions secure and safe.
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