Hinge. Culture: American. Dimensions: H. 21 1/8 in. (53.7 cm). Date: 1700-1800.The wrought iron produced for Dutch dwellings in upstate New York followed a utilitarian aesthetic. These door hinges feature a swelling, or nail pad, at the end closest to the doorjamb. The pads accommodated additional nails and thus strengthened the hinges' attachment to the door. This design, based on hardware used throughout the Netherlands in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is characteristic of hinges produced in Dutch communities in the Hudson River valley. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.