Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

STEEL, ALUMINUM, RUBBER

No. Pieces

7

Height

77

Length

42.3

Width

39.7

Description

1. WASHER: ABOVE DIMENSIONS. WHITE WASHING MACHINE. WASHER IS BUILT UP ON TWO LENGTHS OF ANGLE-IRON WITH ROUNDED ENDS THAT HAVE BEEN PAINTED BLACK. WASHER HAS ROUNDED CORNERS AND SIDE PANEL THAT CAN BE REMOVED. PANEL IS LINED WITH RUBBER SEAL. 2 HANDLE HOLDS ARE CUT INTO SIDE PANELS OF WASHER. TOP OF WASHER HAS ALUMINUM TUB SET INTO IT WITH RUBBER SEAL AROUND EDGE. STAR SHAPED ROTATING WASH WHEEL IS MOUNTED INSIDE TUB. MOUNTED TO INSIDE OF TUB IS RINGER MECHANISM WITH RUBBER ROLLERS AND STEEL CRANK HANDLE. ROLLER HOUSING FOLDS DOWN INTO TUB FOR STORAGE. INSIDE MACHINE IS SMALL ELECTRIC MOTOR THAT HAS 280CM BLACK PLASTIC COVERED POWER CORD WHICH EXTENDS FROM UNDERSIDE OF WASHER. ON REMOVABLE PANEL IS TIN PLATE WHICH HAS WHITE BACKGROUND AND MAPLE LEAF LOGO WHICH READS "THE HOOVER ELECTRIC WASHING MACHINE" AND "MODEL 0306 PATENTS PENDING CSA APP. NO.654 MADE IN CANADA" AND "THE HOOVER COMPANY, LIMITED HAMILTON, ONTARIO". SMALL STEEL PLATE AT BASE OF MACHINE READS "MODEL 0306 SERIAL NO. WA.51824" ALONG WITH ELECTRICAL INFORMATION AND "THE HOOVER COMPANY, LIMITED HAMILTON ONTARIO". BOTTOM OF MACHINE IS MODERATELY CORRODED. STYLIZED STENCIL IS ON OPPOSITE PANEL WHICH READS "HOOVER". STENCIL IS WORN. IS CRACKLING. 51CM LONG BLACK RUBBER HOSE WITH STEEL COLLAR EXTENDS FROM SIDE OF MACHINE AND IS HELD UP IN STEEL CLIP AT TOP CORNER OF WASHER. THERE IS BLUE AND WHITE. SOAP RESIDUE ON BOTTOM AS WELL. 2. LID: 39.7CM (L) X 33.1CM (W) X 1.7CM (H) ALUMINUM LID WITH ROUNDED CORNERS AND TWO HANDLE HOLES. HANDLE HOLES ARE 7.6 CM LONG WITH ROUNDED ENDS. LID IS SINGLE SHEET OF ALUMINUM THAT HAS LIP ROLLED UP. EACH LENGTH HAS SMALL DENT IN LIP TO ENSURE FIT ON MACHINE. LIP HAS SCRATCHES AND PITS FROM WEAR. 3.ENVELOPE: WHITE PAPER ENVELOPE 25.8 CM (L) X 17.1CM (W) WITH BLACK AND RED PRINTING ON FRONT. READS "VERY IMPORTANT" AND BRIEF INSTRUCTIONS FOR EFFICIENT USE OF WASHER AND "ENVELOPE CONTAINS THE "INSTRUCTION CARD" AND "GUIDE TO WASHING." YOU SHOULD READ THEM CAREFULLY BEFORE USING YOUR WASHING MACHINE". PAPER IS YELLOWING AND WORN AT CORNERS AND EDGES. 4.INSTRUCTION CARD: 22.8 (L) X 15.2 (W) LAMINATED PIECE OF CARDBOARD WITH GREEN AND BLACK COLORING. HAS SMALL BRASS EYELET AT MIDDLE TOP OF CARD FOR HANGING. HAS A NUMBER OF DIAGRAMS DEMONSTRATING USE ALONG WITH WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS. ACROSS BOTTOM OF BACK IS "THE HOOVER COMPANY LIMITED, HEAD OFFICE AND FACTORY: HAMILTON, ONT., CANADA". 5. BOOKLET: 20.1 CM (L) X 16.6 CM (W) PAPER BOOKLET WITH BLUE COVERING. FRONT READS "A GUIDE TO WASHING WITH THE HOOVER ELECTRIC WASHING MACHINE". BOOK CONTAINS PHOTOGRAPHS, DIAGRAMS AND INSTRUCTION OF USE. ON BACK IS "MADE IN ENGLAND" AND "901437" AND A STATEMENT OF COPYRIGHT. 6. GUARANTEE CARD: 14.6CM (L) X 6.5CM (W) WHITE PAPER CARD WITH WAVY DOUBLE BORDER. INSIDE BORDER READS "MODEL 0306 GUARANTEE BOND" FOLLOWED BY FULL EXPLANATION OF GUARANTEE. AT BOTTOM OF CARD IS "THE HOOVER COMPANY LIMITED HAMILTON, ONTARIO" AND THE SIGNATURE OF THE COMPANY PRESIDENT "FRANK G. HOOVER". REVERSE IS BLANK. 7. ADVERTISEMENT: FOLDER PAPER BROCHURE 32CM (L) X 15.5CM (W) WITH ORANGE COLORING. CONTAINS ADVERTISEMENTS FOR HOOVER VACUUMS AND ACCESSORIES. BROCHURE IS FOLDED TWICE.

Subjects

MAINTENANCE T&E

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

THIS APARTMENT SIZED WASHER/ RINGER WAS POPULAR IN THE 1940'S. NO SPECIFIC HISTORY WAS GIVEN. *UPDATE* IN 2010, NICOLE HEMBROFF, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT, CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PALLET RACKING. SHE MET WITH ROSS AND KAY WESTBROOK TO DISCUSS THE WASHING MACHINE. SEE BELOW. THE WASHING MACHINE ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO ROSS WESTBROOK’S STEPMOTHER THELMA (JONES) WESTBROOK. WESTBROOK WAS NOT SURE WHEN OR HOW SHE GOT IT. HE THOUGHT IT COULD BE FROM HER BROTHER (NAME UNKNOWN) WHO WORKED IN A HARDWARE STORE (WESTBROOK DIDN’T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE STORE) OR SHE MIGHT HAVE BROUGHT IT WITH HER WHEN SHE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE, AB FROM WINNIPEG, MANITOBA. WESTBROOK THOUGHT THELMA’S MOVE TO LETHBRIDGE WAS DUE TO HER CAREER AS A NURSE. WESTBROOK DIDN’T KNOW THE MACHINE EXISTED UNTIL HIS STEPMOTHER AND HIS FATHER, TED, PASSED AWAY. WESTBROOK AND HIS WIFE KAY INHERITED THE MACHINE AFTER HIS PARENTS HAD PASSED IN THE EARLY 1960S. WHEN WESTBROOK AND KAY ACQUIRED THE WASHING MACHINE THEY PUT IT IN THE BASEMENT OF THEIR LETHBRIDGE, AB HOME. KAY ASKED SEVERAL PEOPLE IF THEY WANTED IT, BUT NOBODY DID. SHE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE FOR SOMEONE WITH A CABIN OR COTTAGE. KAY USED THE WASHING MACHINE HERSELF TO DO THE KIDS’ DIAPERS. IT WAS EASIER FOR HER TO USE THE WASHING MACHINE THAN TO USE THE RINGER WASHER. SHE ALSO USED IT TO WASH SHEETS. SHE SAID IT WAS VERY EASY TO USE ALTHOUGH SHE DIDN’T REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW IT WORKED. THEY STOPPED USING THE MACHINE BECAUSE THEY NEEDED A BIGGER WASHER. AFTER THEY HAD NO USE FOR THE MACHINE THEY STORED IT IN THE TOOL SHED FOR YEARS. ROSS AND KAY WESTBROOK DONATED THE WASHING MACHINE TO THE GALT BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT TO THROW IT AWAY. THEY ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS A RARE ITEM.

Catalogue Number

P19940038000

Acquisition Date

1994-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail