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"Universal" Coffee Maker

American History Museum

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    Object Details

    maker

    Landers, Frary & Clark

    Description

    Art deco style vacuum coffee maker. Glass body (B & C), double-bulb-shaped. Lower pot (B) has out-turned handle, molded plastic, cream-colored, with thumb rest at top, attached with screws to metal gasket that encircles top lip of pitcher. Lower pot has out-turned lip and spout (opposite handle) at top, molded glass, three decorative silver bands around bottom of pitcher body, which has a detachable metal base (A), chrome-plated, circular, semi-sphere with flattened circular base, three triangular cream-colored feet. Base is streamlined. Two arched pieces of metal with molded plastic (cream-colored) handles on either side of base, architectural detail molded into plastic handles. Interior of half-sphere has white molded ceramic heating element with metal coils, attached to two-pronged plug on exterior. Metal, chrome-plated lid (D), circular, concave top, molded plastic knob, cream-colored, with ribbed flange edge to sit over lip of upper “brew pot” (C), which has same silver line decoration as lower pot (B). Upper pot has molded glass rod that is inserted into hole in center, bottom, marked: “CORNING ROD/U.S. PAT. 1927287/U.S. PAT. 1931076”, and is cracked at top. Upper pot is held on top of lower pot with white rubber gasket attached to long hollow glass pike at bottom, which is inserted into the lower pot. Bottom of base has attached circular metal plate, printed: “PATENTS PENDING/D-106778/PAT. NO. 2067470/UNIVERSAL/WATTS 550 VOLTS 110/120/ NO. 228/LANDERS,FRARY, & CLARK/NEW BRITAIN, CONN./U.S.A.”
    May be missing a metal wire strainer, based on a marked patent (2067470).
    Patents:
    1927287, Sep 19, 1933, Raymond W Kell and Charles D Barth, for “Coffee maker”
    1931076, Oct 17, 1933, Raymond W. Kell and Charles D. Barth, assignors to Macbeth-Evans Glass Company, Charleroi, Pennsylvania, for “Coffee maker”
    D-106778, Nov 2, 1937, Oscar M. Anderson, assignor to Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain, Connecticut, for “Design for a coffee maker”
    2067470, Jan 12, 1937, Oscar M. Anderson, assignor to Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain, Connecticut, for “Strainer for percolators”
    Maker is Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain, Connecticut (circa 1862). In the 1890s, took on the name “Universal”, in 1965 General Electric acquired the company.

    Location

    Currently not on view

    date made

    ca 1937

    ID Number

    1988.0113.2

    accession number

    1988.0113

    catalog number

    1988.0113.2

    Object Name

    maker, coffee

    Physical Description

    metal (overall material)
    plastic (base material)

    Measurements

    overall: 14 5/8 in x 9 1/4 in x 6 in; 37.1475 cm x 23.495 cm x 15.24 cm

    place made

    United States
    United States: Connecticut, New Britain

    See more items in

    Home and Community Life: Domestic Life

    Data Source

    National Museum of American History

    Subject

    Household Tools and Equipment
    Beverages
    Coffee Drinking
    Patented

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b2-6173-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

    Record ID

    nmah_324293

    Discover More

    coffee service

    From Coffee Cup to Coffee Table

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