A family mystery from 1939 - Hoover Model 60?

[mbhdesign]

Hi all,

I'd like you all to meet "Millie," my grandmother. Here she is posing with a brand new Hoover vacuum cleaner for a company publicity photo.

Now things start to get a little hazy, and I'd love your help.

Was this photo taken in 1939? My grandmother swore it was 1939, because she stopped her modelling career when she got married in October 1939.

Is this a Model 60? Sorry it's the only view of the machine I've got. Perhaps someone can confirm or correct?

Has anyone ever seen this photo (in whole or cropped) for use in advertising, public relations, etc. I haven't located any use of this image so far, but maybe you have?

Thanks in advance for looking!
As always, your comments and feedback are much appreciated.

Oh, and here's a link to the full size image if it helps.

Michael (mbhdesign)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rjdk20meh7s44gt/MillieHooverGirl_Fix.jpg

 

[gottahaveahoove]

WOW! Look at Miss Millie!

That vacuum was referred to as "The Finest Hoover Cleaner Ever Built". It began the low hood vacuums, progressing to the Citation type years, evolving into the Convertible phase. I don't have the dates in front of me at the moment.

 

[dysonman1]

Yes. It's a model 60. You can tell from the handle grip. Odd that this model 60 does not appear to have the paper bag set up. The old cloth bag was optional, but almost everyone went for the new HandiSac set up.

 

[human]

Great photo!

Photos like this one are the reason I miss true black-and-white film photography. The composition and lighting make it such a nice period piece. I can definitely see design cues that stretched from that machine on into the Convertibles of the 1970s.

The choice to use the dump bag version for the photo over the 'HandiSac' setup might have been for a couple of reasons. It could have been early in the model's production run and that's what was available to send to the photo studio or it might have been that the dump bag had a more svelte appearance and thus fit the advertising narrative better. I noticed last year when I up-fitted my Sanitaire SC686 to an F&G setup that the new bag did not sit quite as flat when the machine was at rest. The slimmer look to the bag could convey an impression that the machine is fairly light weight and thus easier to use. I also notice that the cord is unfurled from its hooks on the handle, again perhaps to help emphasize the machine's slender profile.

While this photo was apparently the 'keeper', it doubtless was not the only one taken in that session. With most of the cord out of frame, I wonder if the machine was plugged in and if they also shot photos with it running and the bag inflated, perhaps they also staged some 'action' shots of her pushing the vacuum. One thing I do question about the photo is why she wasn't wearing a lighter colored dress that would provide better contrast for the dark colored vacuum. A commercial photographer of that era who was worth his salt would necessarily have a good sense of how various colors would appear against one another in a black-and-white photo.

 

[kirbyklekter]

Aw, she looks like a lovely young lady

The photo does remind me of some of the ads placed in our high school yearbook. Typically a student would go have their picture taken at the business of one of the sponsors locations. They were basically lending themselves as a prop for the shoot. Gives thew photo a "local, neighborhood feel, with someone well known on campus.

We all knew Randy couldn't afford to buy a door off that shiny new Chrysler 300 convertible as the picture is showing him with a contract in one hand and keys in the other, but it made for a lovely photo.

I was thinking that this picture with your grandmother was taken at a local Hoover store and placed in local newspapers. It doesn't have that "workday" feel to it, she actually shares the billing with the Hoover here.This photo could be as much about her as the vacuum cleaner! Does Your Grandmother remember where the photos were taken. I bet there are other pics taken of her possibly pushing it and hopefully a shot where you can clearly read the "brand" on the bag.

I wish you luck in your search for more info. As a side note my mom did runway modelling back in the day and that all came to an end when she had her first child, namely me! Billy

 

[mbhdesign]

Thanks for all the insights!

Thanks everybody for some great comments!

What my grandmother told me (back in the late 1980s) was that this was one of at least 12 staged product shots, only 6 of which she appeared in. She was given a set of prints at the time, but only kept this one as it showed her face!

Now at this time, she lived in Chicago - but her parents lived near Dayton, Ohio. So, I'm not sure where these were taken. She also studied at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Here's two more from the same session, but I don't have any high-resolution prints. Just these scanned from my 1940s era Industrial Design book collection.

 

[dysonman1]

Photo 1 has the disposable bag set up. You can tell since there is no 'slide' closure at the top of the bag.