Thinking of buying a new stove? Not finding what you want? Step back in time to January 12, 1927 to a small store south of San Francisco along the Peninsula that sold stoves by Tappan.
Click on image to see it larger.
If either of these guys try to sell you one of these…think twice. It’ll be a real pain trying to find parts.
Tappan appliances was founded by W.J. Tappan as the Ohio Valley Foundry Company in Bellaire, Ohio in 1881 selling cast-iron stoves door-to-door. The company relocated to Mansfield, Ohio in 1889 and was renamed the Eclipse Stove Company before being renamed the Tappan Stove Company. It was acquired by Electrolux in 1979.
Tappan claims several innovations, including:
▪ 1920s all-porcelain range available in various colorsI'm guessing that this fellow is the boss. His shoes are shined.
▪ 1955 the first microwave oven model for home use.
▪ 1960s electric ignition for gas ranges
▪ 1965 single unit conventional range and microwave oven.
(SOURCE: Wikipedia)
I'm guessing this fellow is not the boss. His shoes are not shined.
And I'm guessing that most paper doll lovers would be thrilled to find one of these cut-outs.
This post allows Sepia Saturday posters to find a way to cook all of the staples Alan has recommended for this weeks post.
Posts
You have cooked up a feast of an old image, full of interest and provided a perfect commentary.
ReplyDeleteIt makes us realise how far we've come as far as domestic appliances are concerned. I wonder why that man had such muddy shoes and why didn't his boss notice?
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing either:
Deletehe walks to work while his boss drives
he made a delivery that day to a farmhouse and had to slog through farm "mud"
the boss doesn't pay him enough to buy new shoes
The pictures of the two men somehow remind me of "Would you buy a second hand car from this man?"
ReplyDeleteI like your sense of humor! Thanks.
Yes, indeed. Did they also sell used stoves?
DeleteI would love to know how they used this photo.
The boss is all ears (rather like me. I'll bet he doesn't miss a word the customers say about his stoves.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing in that store sound carried as it bounced off the metal surfaces.
DeleteWhat a find! Great photo. Loved the part about the shoes. I wonder why they don't have anything on the walls?
ReplyDeleteKathy M.
Great pictures. While I don't really want one of those old stoves, they are fun to admire in antique shops. If I had a screened-in porch, I'd buy one to use like a sideboard.
ReplyDeleteOh that is too funny....his shoes are really dirty! He must be the delivery man too! My grandmother won a G E General Electric refrigerator sometime before I was born, by a writing contest! They wouldn't have parts for that one any more either!
ReplyDeleteOh, my grandmother had one of those Tappan gas stoves; it was light green with cream-colored doors and handles...the dog slept underneath on a plaid blanket! Nice to see stoves like that!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great photo! Those side walls are so stark and the perspective takes us deep into the store and those two gentlemen. I bet they didn't consider that one day we would zoom in and discover those muddy shoes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinated selection of stoves. The two men are indeed in contrast! I'd agree with the others who suggest we're looking at Mr. Inside (right) and Mr. Outside (left), Sales and Delivery. Plus, Mr. Outside's jacket doesn't match his trousers, so he probably threw it on for the photo. Great post, thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents had one in the basement and that is the stove my grandfather cooked the turkey in. I think the messy shoe guy was the delivery man too.
ReplyDeleteha ha great story, i think ill avoid buying from them, the second bloke looks well dodgy
ReplyDeleteI am wondering what the left hand guy has in his hand. Maybe he is the repair man. I remember Tappan very well. When I was a little girl we looked on a coal stove. cooked and kept warm by coal.
ReplyDeleteQMM
I too remember Tappan and did not know it didn't exist anymore. I can remember Tappan ranges being given away on game shows in the '60s.
ReplyDeleteI remember the brand name Tappan, but like Tattered and Lost, I didn't know they weren't around anymore.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I like how you figured out which man was the boss.
I am always inspired by the Sepia Saturday Detectives who hunt for clues as doggedly as Sherlock Holmes. A super photo and a reminder of when appliance stores had a position in the cavalcade of Main St. shops. I almost bought a vintage Tappan gas stove years ago when I was remodeling our antique kitchen. I discovered a whole Antiques sub-culture devoted to restoring ancient appliances. But no amount of good cooking would ever equal the high prices.
ReplyDeleteMike,
DeleteYou might get a kick out of seeing the vintage stove ads at my ephemera site on Sept. 15-16:
http://tinyurl.com/9tv2nlz
http://tinyurl.com/9pwel5r
Great post! The Tappan name sounds familiar. I'm impressed with how you cropped the men out of the picture. Do you have special software to get such a detailed image? It's amazing what you can see, such as the guy's dirty shoes! The paper-doll cut out is cute and she didn't show up very well in the original photo.
ReplyDeleteJust a good scanner and Photoshop. Scan the images very large, even at a low resolution, then use the crop or copy tool in your photo program.
DeleteCertainly a delightful post, but one thing came to my mind immediately:
ReplyDeleteHow do you sell stoves door-to-door???
Enquiring minds want to know!!
:)~
HUGZ