1995.53.A-D, Electrolux Corp. (maker) Lurelle Guild (designer), American, Vacuum cleaner (Model 30), designed 1937

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Giving objects, even stationary ones, streamlined shapes was seen as a sign of progress and dynamism in the Depression years of the 1930s. Thanks to the emerging profession of industrial design and the need to enhance slumping sales figures, streamlined silhouettes were given to everything from buildings to buses and from cocktail shakers to vacuum cleaners. Furthermore, the modernity of these products was often enhanced through the use of new materials, including plywood, plastic, chromed steel, and aluminum. The end result was fashionable yet relatively inexpensive products that could be consumed on a mass scale and were not restricted to the wealthy upper class.

The Electrolux Model No. 30 vacuum cleaner, designed by industrial designer Lurelle Guild and produced by the Electrolux Corporation in 1937, resembles a cross between a rocket and a sled with the front portion taking on a train-like form. The overall streamlined appearance evokes the feeling that it is about to launch itself around the house. At the time, the Model 30’s canisters and runners challenged the traditional wheeled, bag-type, upright vacuum cleaner commonly found in American households. Due to this vacuum’s use of a hose and the separation of the motor and suction unit, the versatile Model No. 30 lent itself to different cleaning needs and was light enough that the consumer could also use it as an upright by removing its hose and inserting the wand directly into the cylinder. With its futuristic appearance and use of modern materials, including cast aluminum, shiny chromium plating, and enameled steel, the stylish vacuum conjured up a sense of glamour not often associated with everyday domestic chores. Nearly a million households purchased the Electrolux Model No. 30 within the year following its introduction in 1937. In 1942, the Electrolux Corporation halted the manufacturing of Guild’s design to focus on the war effort. Production of the popular design resumed following the war up until 1954.

Drawn from

David A. Hanks and Anne Hoy, American Streamlined Design: The World of Tomorrow (Paris: Flammarion), 2005.
John Stuart Gordon, A Modern World: American Design from the Yale University Art Gallery 1920-1950 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Art Gallery), 2011.
Charles Venable, DMA unpublished material.

NOTES

TMS Updates:

Geo Xrefs - constituent birth

Geo Xrefs - place of origin

Provenance

Published References - The Electrolux Model 30 appeared in the 1996 DMA exhibit "Hot Cars, High Fashion, Cool Stuff: Designs of the 20th Century"

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Guild_Lurelle: DMA

Electrolux Group: ULAN: 500333025

Cultures

Geography

Greenwich (Connecticut): TGN: 7014145

Process/materials

aluminum: AAT: 300011015

chrome steel: AAT: 300010918

Historical periods

20th Century Design: The 1930s

American and European Design - 1920 to 1960

Streamlined Moderne: 300212738

Individuals

Subject terms

streamlining: AAT: 300056322

RELATED OBJECTS

PROVENANCE

1937: Electrolux Corporation, Old Greenwich, Connecticutt

After 1937: Aunt of Mr. John T. Howell and Mr. Thomas J. Howell, Beaumont, TX

Until 1995: Mr. John T. Howell and Mr. Thomas J. Howell, Dallas, TX, by inheritance from the above

From 1995: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. John T. Howell and Mr. Thomas J. Howell, August 22, 1995

AUDIO ASSETS

13311516: UMO. Listen to Charles Venable, former Chief Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the DMA discuss Art Deco and Streamlined Moderne

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

http://www.industrialdesignhistory.com/node/211

WEB RESOURCES

PBS American Experience~Read more about Industrial Designers and Streamliners

Lurelle Guild~Read more about industrial designer Lurelle Guild

The American Electrolux~Read more about The American Electrolux

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES

Apply to objects where id equals 4003845

General Description

Giving objects, even stationary ones, streamlined shapes was seen as a sign of progress and dynamism in the Depression years of the 1930s. Thanks to the emerging profession of industrial design and the need to enhance slumping sales figures, streamlined silhouettes were given to everything from buildings to buses and from cocktail shakers to vacuum cleaners. Furthermore, the modernity of these products was often enhanced through the use of new materials, including plywood, plastic, chromed steel, and aluminum. The end result was fashionable yet relatively inexpensive products that could be consumed on a mass scale and were not restricted to the wealthy upper class.

The Electrolux Model No. 30 vacuum cleaner, designed by industrial designer Lurelle Guild and produced by the Electrolux Corporation in 1937, resembles a cross between a rocket and a sled with the front portion taking on a train-like form. The overall streamlined appearance evokes the feeling that it is about to launch itself around the house. At the time, the Model 30’s canisters and runners challenged the traditional wheeled, bag-type, upright vacuum cleaner commonly found in American households. Due to this vacuum’s use of a hose and the separation of the motor and suction unit, the versatile Model No. 30 lent itself to different cleaning needs and was light enough that the consumer could also use it as an upright by removing its hose and inserting the wand directly into the cylinder. With its futuristic appearance and use of modern materials, including cast aluminum, shiny chromium plating, and enameled steel, the stylish vacuum conjured up a sense of glamour not often associated with everyday domestic chores. Nearly a million households purchased the Electrolux Model No. 30 within the year following its introduction in 1937. In 1942, the Electrolux Corporation halted the manufacturing of Guild’s design to focus on the war effort. Production of the popular design resumed following the war up until 1954.