You would think that in this day and age, with all the information available, research on any particular subject would be easy. Well, that is what I thought until I tried to research this Coiffurette hair dryer manufactured by the General Manufacturing Company of Dayton, Ohio. But wait, the dryer says "Patent Applied for." Great, I'll search the US patents. Well, I'm guessing they never received the patent because all of my searches came up empty.
This dryer is a part of my personal collection of items made in Dayton over the years. It is from the 1940s and, like many hair dryers, has a hot/cold switch. And wow is this thing every heavy! I sure would hate holding this up for an extended period of time to dry hair...luckily, that's not something I need to worry about!
So, today we present this Coiffurette hair dryer manufactured by the General Manufacturing Company of Dayton, Ohio. If you know anything about the company, their other products, or its owners, please share.
Steve -- I don't know anything about who made this dryer, but I do remember that my mother had a similar dryer from that time period -- VERY heavy and very easy to burn your hair AND skin!
ReplyDeleteFrom the 1940's and it still works? I have to buy a new one every 2-3 years and was complaing about mine just this morning. Ok Steve, how much? I don't care how hot it gets.
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteNo knowledge of the General Manufacturing Company, but I'll bet phone books from the 1940's available at the Dayton Public Library downtown would at least list the company's address.
As for "Patent Applied For", this is an oft-used tactic to prevent competitors from bringing a similar product to market. Often, there's no truth or legal weight to the claim.
Antiques Roadshow is coming to Cincinnati on 21 July. You would have a great time there with your hair dryer! http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2012/01/03/antiques-roadshow-coming-here-july-21/
DeleteResearch indicates that Charles W. Trick opened the General Manufacturing Company in his home on Bacon Street around 1926. He was a sheet metal worker and would do some custom sheet metal work. By the time WWII started he had moved to 1110 East 5th Street and advertised "Sheet Metal Products, Metal Stamping, Screw machine Products". It seems that war work had allowed him to expand his business. By 1944 he was also manufacturing tools. The hair dryer was probably produced around this time, or right after the war. He then moved to 729 Washington Street around 1961 and by 1968 had moved to 315 South Main Street. Around 1973 his company moved again, this time to 1000 East 2nd Street, where he advertised as making specialty parts and making component parts. The last year of the company seems to be 1978. Charles is not in Dayton anymore either, so perhaps he passed away. So this little company, which seems to not have made a great historic impression, was actually in business here under that name, with Charles at the helm, for 52 years.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps.
If you like to look at other historical manufacturers in Dayton, check out my web site at www.daytonhistorybooks.com. It contains over 1,700 books, articles and booklets and has a search engine. All of this is for free and it contains a lot of companies not usually found in history books.
I would bet that is not intended for use on hair. In my parents and grandparents time in the Dayton area GM plants; similar "dryers" were used for vinyl forming and other processes.
ReplyDeleteThis is the info i have on a similar dryer. "Central West Products Co Dayton" Coiffurette hairdryer with cold-hot settings. Hope that helps
ReplyDelete