American Vacuum Cleaner Co Looking For Information

[chicopeejohn]

In a barter trade, I obtained the vacuum cleaner (or part of one). It is clearly marked but I am having trouble obtaining information / detail about it.

Any help with detail and appeal to collectors would be greatly appreciated.

Thankks

 

[human]

Interesting contraption...

I wish I could help you with that but it's way out of my wheelhouse. It's still a cool artifact. It looks like it's designed for stationary operation. Small, central unit, perhaps? I see the "Patents Pending" decal on it. Are there any patent numbers visible that could provide some clues? Glad you saved it and good luck.

 

[hoover300]

No info on the company, but the design was used by several brands. It is a 2 person, stationary pump vac. The last pic shows the port where the long handle was supposed to go. One person would put a foot on the wood board and pump back and forth, while the other went around with a hose and attachments and did the vacuuming. The hose was I believe cloth, and a very small diameter. Type "Pump Vacuum" in the VL search engine, it will bring up a few results of similar cleaners.

I would gladly buy it off of you if you lived closer, but shipping would be a nightmare for a vac of that size.

 

[dysonman1]

Years ago, Stan Kann gave me his "Dust Killer" which is very similar. Note the viewing glass where the hose connects to the machine, so the kids pumping it can tell mother when there's no more dirt coming through. My machine was on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1968 (Stan's first appearance of 77 times).

 

[portable]

The Ideal...

I have some ads for The Ideal, made by The American Vacuum Cleaner Co., on West 33rd St. in New York City. This first one is from Good Housekeeping, published in June of 1908. As you can see, there was also an electric version of The Ideal as well.

 

[portable]

The Ideal...

This second ad is from Scribner's Magazine, 1909

 

[portable]

The Ideal...

Here's a 3rd one, from Century Magazine, June 1909

 

[portable]

The Ideal...

This one, undated, is probably from Spring 1910. It indicates that the electric version price will be increased by $5.00 "after June first next".

 

[madman]

It's amazing how in only a few short years, vacuums evolved from this weird contraption to something very similar to what we still have today.

 

[huskyvacs]

I think they learned pretty quick having two people to run a vacuum cleaner was never going to work. lol

I wish someone would get the museum to make a video of this horse drawn vacuum running and sucking stuff up - do a suction test on it. lol