History of Door Handles

Have you ever considered that door handles might have a rich and beautiful history as well? The story of door handles is fascinating, however, there is no exact year that we can pinpoint for their creation.

Historians believe that door handles have been in around for about 5000 years. However, the material, design and mechanisms have evolved over the centuries.

Modern door handles came about during the industrial revolution. In the late 19th century, when Osbourn Dorsey, an African-American inventor, submitted a patent application for modifications to a door-closing device. These doorknobs and handles are now an essential component of modern doors!

Prior to the invention of door handles, people only used locks and keys. These were expensive and not many could afford them. Therefore, in most cases, valuables were kept in locked boxes with the keys kept secure. In Europe, a servant called Chamberlain was engaged in every home as a trustworthy key keeper for the upper class. He was the sole person in charge of ensuring the safety of all the riches stored in the boxes.

In the earlier era, the reason for not having a door handle was that they were costly. Poorer people just do not have the money to afford it. They devised a latch string as a simple and inexpensive solution. The latch-string technique featured the use of a bar across the door, which kept people and their belongings secure. This latch-string approach wasn’t feasible for bigger home interior doors, and it took too long to repair the latches if something went wrong with them.

With the everchanging environment and constant research and evolution of things, door handles have come to be an absolute essential for every house, whether we take interior design into mind or safety. Even the pricing has been restored to a point where it is available to all, regardless of their stature in society.

As door handles continue to evolve, Maranello Handles assures you the best in innovative design and quality for times to come.