Hair Dryer
Maker and role
The General Electric Company Limited, Manufacturer
Production date
1956-1959
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
1988.46
Production period
Description
Small, hand-held hair dryer with handle and power cord coming out the bottom. Control switches on the back. Top section rounded with air vents in back and hole at front with metal gauze over it.
Object label:
The first electrical hair dryers were invented in Germany in the 1920s. They were generally metal plated, with rather noisy motors. It wasn’t until after the end of the Second World War that the hair dryer became quieter and lighter. This GEC hair dryer, released in the UK in 1948, is an example of this new technological advance. It was so popular that it remained on sale until the 1960s, and even featured in the first Consumers’ Association test of hair dryers in the September 1961 edition of ‘Which’ magazine.
Object label:
The first electrical hair dryers were invented in Germany in the 1920s. They were generally metal plated, with rather noisy motors. It wasn’t until after the end of the Second World War that the hair dryer became quieter and lighter. This GEC hair dryer, released in the UK in 1948, is an example of this new technological advance. It was so popular that it remained on sale until the 1960s, and even featured in the first Consumers’ Association test of hair dryers in the September 1961 edition of ‘Which’ magazine.
Marks
G.E.C. England Maker's Plate
G.E.C. / CATALOGUE NO DM395.S. / VOLTS 230/40 WATTS 550 / A.C.-D.C. 25-100 CYCLES / BRIT. REG. DES. NO 854910 / BRIT. PAT. NO 713712. / BRIT. PAT. NO 373825 / NO 3673DA24 / MADE IN ENGLAND Maker's Mark
G.E.C. / CATALOGUE NO DM395.S. / VOLTS 230/40 WATTS 550 / A.C.-D.C. 25-100 CYCLES / BRIT. REG. DES. NO 854910 / BRIT. PAT. NO 713712. / BRIT. PAT. NO 373825 / NO 3673DA24 / MADE IN ENGLAND Maker's Mark
Media/Materials
Credit Line
The General Electric Company Limited. 1956-1959. Hair Dryer, 1988.46. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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