1952 GENERAL ELECTRIC ( CGE Italy )

[guido]

In 1952 the italian division of GE - called CGE for Compagnia Generale di Elettricità ( opened in Milano in 1921 and finally closed down in 1994 )- launched this incredible vacuum cleaner.
It shows a very streamlined design and -like many other CGE products - it's a very heavy and well built machine. As you can see the design is not exactly "european" but very much "american classic". I would be curious to know if this model was ever produced in USA too...can some american collector maybe help ?
Also there is a series of beautiful blenders and coffee grinders from the same series . Take a look ! All this machines are quite rare in Italy too nowadays, but so well built and amazing design...here's what I was able to find in the last years :

 

[guido]

Here is the VACUUM CLEANER

Here is the VACUUM CLEANER

 

[guido]

attachments

attachments ( unfortunately the tube has been badly squeezed in a point....don't think I can do something )

 

[guido]

Anh here are the blenders and grinders fromthe same series

.

 

[guido]

an old advertising fromthe 1950's

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[guido]

and another

1950's advert

 

[guido]

and another

Another small vacuum cleaner brush from CGE called LIZ :

 

[funvacfan]

What beautiful

pieces! Both the vacuum and the blenders! Great colours too.

Here is Canada, we had CGE as well. Canadian General Electric.

Guy

 

[singingrainbow]

I absolutely love the style! Truly a great find. I do think there were some very similarly shaped GE machines but I don't know for sure.


Scott

 

[guido]

The 3 lines....

Yes, i can only suppose all this machines were designed in the USA by General Electric for CGE italian division : some other machines produced by CGE are infact the same ( such as many classic fans and other cleaners such as the SWIVEL TOP ) but other are - i think - exclusive models for Italy.

PLEASE NOTICE THE RECURRING "3 LINES-DECORATION" AN ALL MACHINES : SEEMS LIKE SOMEONE AT General Electric WAS OBSESSED with this sort of signature...

 

[collector2]

Its a great looking machine. I don't recall anything quite like it in the American or Canadian GE lines.

 

[vacbear58]

General Electric

Guido

It seems to me that it owes much more in its design to Universal models, see "CreviceTool's" current thread "An EBay horror story..........(not)" for an example of their cleaner. Now I admit it is not an exact copy but it is close. I know for a fact that Universal designs were copied in the UK, Holland and Russia so maybe in other countries too. But its still a great looking cleaner

Al

 

[guido]

yeah...I ve already read and much enjoyed that thread !

Well Al, yes there are some similarities ( i have some other in my computer - now on repair - and hope to post them soon here ) but I think the italian CGE line was probably more expensive and "luxury" models if compared to the universal line.
Anyway - in those years - there were many models arouund that - like CGE or Universal - looked like rockets and were much influenced by space age.

CGE proposed this novelties - including some crazy wall mounted freezers which were also present in the american catalogues - in the very early fifties - probably too early for Italy at the time - and are quite rare to find today. Electric items entered the italian homes only in the late fifties-early sixties....most houses did not have a fridge until 1960 here by us - believe it or not ! 1957 - 1960 were the years of the italian "electrical boom" but most electric devices quickly became cheap and lightweight ( Moulinex, Calor and Girmi were the low-quality top sellers at the time ). The war of prices kept quality always rather low - with few exeptions - but by that time many high quality brands were already going out of the market ( CGE lost its train and by 1966 the production of electric kitchenalia was over, concentrating the brand on radios and televisions ).