A most fabulous Christmas present!

[electrolux~137]

Wow, I really have a lot of catching up to do... <br
This past December I was skimming through the vintage vacuum listings on eBay, when "what to wondering eyes should appear" but "Vintage Singer Upright Vacuum." Of course I took a look, and almost fell off my chair when I saw a gorgeous, mint-condition Singer R4! And I =DID= fall off my chair when I saw a very reasonable "buy it now!" And BUY IT NOW, I did!! The listing stated it was a "summer home" vacuum for his parents' vacation cottage and had been used very infrequently over the years. When they passed away, the summer home was sold and the contents dispersed. The seller was the one who got the vacuum, and then decided to list it on eBay. Here are a couple of photos of this beauty <br <br
<img src=http://www.137.com/singerr4/singer.r4.3.jpg <br
<img src=http://www.137.com/singerr4/singer.r4.4.jpg <br
<img src=http://www.137.com/singerr4/singer.r4.5.jpg <br
Here's its older sister, the 1936 R1. This machine was a gift to me from Stan Kann back when I first met him in 1991. He had two of them, and every time I'd go over to his house I'd sit there and just sigh at what to me was the most beautifully styled vacuum cleaner I had ever seen. One day, he said, "Well, since you like the R1 so much and I have two of them, why don't you take this one home with you." Can you say, "Knock me over with a feather?!&quot <br
<img src=http://www.137.com/singerr4/singer.r4.1.jpg <br
And here they are together <br
<img src=http://www.137.com/singerr4/singer.r4.2.jpg <br
I have never been able to find out who designed the early Singers -- my hunch is that it may have been Henry Dreyfuss <br
The low-profile "Magic Carpet" Model S-3 Singers of the late 1940s through the mid 1960s were designed by Raymond Loewy <br

 

[lux1521]

Some patent data for these cleaners:

http://www.google.com/patents/about..._is=1930&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=1945&num=30

 

[lux1521]

Here's a name you should know:

http://www.google.com/patents/about..._is=1930&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=1945&num=30

 

[eurekaprince]

And here we have it , ladies and gentlemen....

the first cord reel on an upright! Can anyone suggest an earlier appearance for this neat feature?

 

[normvac]

RI great machine !

This Singer R1 was the first or second vacuum that I collected
as a grade schooler. My Dad and Mom had been to an auction
in that year of 1953. My father came home with that vacuum for me. Believed he paid a dolloar or 2 for it. It wasn't selling as the handle grip piece was missing. He put black
tape over the open end. I used to vacuum a rug in basement that I played on. Love the red bag but was a little afraid
of the machine it self. Ended up in the trash, during a spring cleaning of the basement.
My other childhood vacuum for play was a Royal Prince hand vac with the red/black bag that my aunt gave me. Used to vacuum my bedroom on my hands and knees (no comments please).
It got tossed out, because the belt kept flying off. Dumb me did not figure out or understand. There is a right and wrong way to put that belt on the fan !
Norm

 

[arh1953]

They're both beautiful, but I like the cord reel one the best.

 

[electrolux~137]

Erick, can I say "knock me down with a feather!" I had no idea that Lurelle Guild designed vacuum cleaners for anyone other than Electrolux. But now knowing this, a look at the Singer just shows Lurelle Guild's style all over it. Thanks for the info!

 

[vintagehoover]

'I had no idea that Lurelle Guild designed vacuum cleane

See Post #67787, from April...

http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/ARCHIVE/VINTAGE/2009/6050x27.htm

 

[lux1521]

It was a suprise to me too. I highly encourage people to do patent searches, not just because you learn who designed your favorite stuff, but it's just a lot of fun too. In the past, I have done patent threads, and they were not too well received. I'm not sure if its the technical language (which I usually ignore), or if people just don't like the drawings.

I often think that a patent search is like a journey into technical fantasy land. Really, your running around in a world of clean air Kirbys and Hoover Elites from the 20s. You get to see familar stuff (Air Way DirtMaster), and stuff that never made it to market.

 

[electrolux~137]

I enjoy doing patent searches, too. I used to even do it the hard way -- going to the public library and looking at microfilm archives from the U.S.Patent Office. When the first Patent Office web site opened, acquiring patents was a veyr tedious and kludgy process. Now with improved search tools and most patents in PDF format, it's a lot easier.

See link below for some of the fruits of my and Douglas Elliot's labors.



http://www.137.com/lux/luxpatents.html