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Early Figural Fans — Speculation


Jim Kovar

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Ever since the "fan bug" bit me, I've been enamored by three early figural fans.   All of which embody fanciful or mythical creatures.

Two of which were made by Fort Wayne Electric Works and the other by Menominee Electric.

The FWEW fans display vicious dragons.   One being a telephone booth bracket fan and the other is depicted in the ad below.

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The Menominee Electric made fan has a pair of heraldic dolphins supporting a fan.

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I am certain that FWEW did not manufacture anything aside from the fan and slip-ring ball as shown in the ad above.

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Now to my speculation...

Screenshot_20240730-201803_Gallery.thumb.jpg.60ca6a68856da7758f9c349c30907e9d.jpg

Menominee Electric did not make that base, but rather adapted it to their purpose.

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The weight of motor and its "high center of mass" above the base, and the small footprint of the base, just doesn't quite look like a good idea to me.

Not that I wouldn't like to have one!!

Also, that pivot looks to be the weakest link, especially with that much weight on it.

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Dragons,...   when they
     were still young...

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22 minutes ago, Jim Kovar said:

The weight of motor and its "high center of mass" above the base, and the small footprint of the base, just doesn't quite look like a good idea to me.

Not that I wouldn't like to have one!!

Also, that pivot looks to be the weakest link, especially with that much weight on it.

There is an actual small image of the full nickel plate Noxall/American (trade name) Menominee fan in electrical trade. It was posted in past, maybe by you? Menominee CEO Joseph Fleshiem commit suicide with a pistol to the head in 1900 as the Menominee concern went into receivership and bankruptcy. It is stated in electrical trade late 90s that moving the plant from Menominee was being considered. Tideman had to pull an Ace from his sleeve to help save the sinking ship. That fan was his Ace up the sleeve with little doubt. I believe the entire fan was manufactured in Menominee. Just how Tideman may have reinforced that pivot if he did remains a mystery. 🙂

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But what fan is that? Tab base, yoke mount... if it didn't have a badge it would look somewhat like a Fidelity. 

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Noxall fan motor through the east coast agency and marketed American fan motor through the Chicago Midwest agency. Sold in 12", 14", and 16" models for sure 1898 and 1899 fan motor seasons.

Noxall.thumb.png.618a8194d0aa0fedf56e68f4bca22472.png

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     Some pretty thorough descriptions in the articles... "Manufactured by the Vance Electric" may not be entirely accurate, and we've seen that language used elsewhere where the firm is actually an agency, but that language is used consistently in the 1898 mentions, and it could be...?   ... Staghorn bracketing above figural dolphins?

              image.thumb.png.b0db92ce48b1a77de5670920a89a5b32.png

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   Jim, is there an attribution for the revolving dragon desk fan, is it Chas. Coffin's office?

     I'm thinking those dragon brackets were more than telephone fans, what booth required a ten- or twelve-inch fan?

 

     By the way...  GE Staghorn Ceiling Fan:

image.png.6f677b1ffc030ab43d88f6b3a95497ca.png

 

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41 minutes ago, Steve Rockwell said:

     Some pretty thorough descriptions in the articles... "Manufactured by the Vance Electric" may not be entirely accurate, and we've seen that language used elsewhere where the firm is actually an agency, but that language is used consistently in the 1898 mentions, and it could be...?

              

                                     

                               

It is not at all accurate. Vance was an established east coast early electrical contractor, and east coast agency for Menominee. East coast businesses who could afford the early electrical contracting go to Vance Electric for their electrical needs. No Google back then. People on the east coast are familiar with Vance for their electrical needs. Who to hell is Menominee Electrical & Mechanical Co. on the east coast in 1898? CONSUMER CONFIDENCE.

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Edited by Russ Huber
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People on the east coast are familiar with Vance for their electrical needs. Who to hell is Menominee Electrical & Mechanical Co. on the east coast in 1898?

     ... Good point, Russ...

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3 hours ago, Steve Rockwell said:

People on the east coast are familiar with Vance for their electrical needs. Who to hell is Menominee Electrical & Mechanical Co. on the east coast in 1898?

     ... Good point, Russ...

There were telephones, telegraph, newspapers, periodic electrical trade journals, electrical contractors, and electrical exchange buildings full of offices for agencies to market the manufacturer's product and get them on the map. Once the manufacturer gained reputation through the agencies, the world was their oyster. 🙂

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Chicago based Roth who bought out Eck's share in the business in late winter of 95 went a step further. In 97 Roth brought forth their own fan motor exempt from Eck's engineering and established their own agency (The New York Dynamo & Motor Company) on the east coast not only offering their fan motor, they offered to set up for the customer the DC dynamo to run the Roth fan motor. 🙂

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Roth had agency of all places in Des Moines and Sioux City, IA. I would not be surprised a Roth Bipolar surfaced in Iowa. 

Edited by Russ Huber
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Jim

This is an excellent post.  I did not realize the dragon lamp was not made by Wood Systems.   I know the revolver can be used with any lamp but the dragon lamp I thought could be ordered as an option with the fan.   I guess the wood system dragon wall mount had me figuring wrong.  
 

I think I have the motor of the noxall (Menominee) dolphin figural fan in my collection   

An excellent post and educational.  Thank you 

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Here's another example of
marrying a lamp base to a
fan motor...

Picture1.jpg.72c0abcc37e3c058847b1de3779a7dda(1).jpg.ec3e42f3081cdee44bbe3b8ce4cc872e.jpg

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     My bad regarding Coffin--- a dragon fan, not dragon lamp...  Here's a century-old account touching on GE's (really Fort Wayne's i.e. Wood's) developments, to be taken with a grain of salt...

                                 image.thumb.png.bed4e391e1f01bd20c96f92b401b0090.png

  

 

 

 

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  hmmmmm...

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7 hours ago, Jim Kovar said:

Here's another example of
marrying a lamp base to a
fan motor...

Picture1.jpg.72c0abcc37e3c058847b1de3779a7dda(1).jpg.ec3e42f3081cdee44bbe3b8ce4cc872e.jpg

image.jpeg.6a719a8e821eca56a1b025ffc0ed0617.jpeg
 

Jim, that’s not a marriage to a lamp base.  Mike Breedlove sold high quality frame able line drawings of rare fans about 50 years ago.  This is one is an Imperial.  Same base. 

Edited by John Trier
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This little add shows there were different sizes of Imperial fans.  Maybe the 14” is the line drawing above. 
 

image.thumb.jpeg.87ae031cf3bb2d2d01b59142b0426224.jpeg

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Wright Factory at 140 Washington St. New York 1893 becomes the M & M Electric Co. in 1894 and in 1897 Imperial merges with M & M.

The M & M/ Imperial fan motor design is based on the conceived in the early 1880s English motor design from Charles Cuttriss.

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Edited by Russ Huber
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This I am fairly confident this model was known as the No. 4 outfit. 

Picture1.jpg.72c0abcc37e3c058847b1de3779a7dda(1).jpg.ec3e42f3081cdee44bbe3b8ce4cc872e.jpg

Edited by Russ Huber
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So, 1893-1898 140 Washington Street New York went from Wright (1893) to M & M (1894-96) to The Imperial 1897-98. BTW....in 98 Imperial was marketing small motors. They must have dissolved shortly after. 

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11 hours ago, Mel Lagarde said:

Jim

This is an excellent post.  I did not realize the dragon lamp was not made by Wood Systems.   I know the revolver can be used with any lamp but the dragon lamp I thought could be ordered as an option with the fan.   I guess the wood system dragon wall mount had me figuring wrong.  
 

I think I have the motor of the noxall (Menominee) dolphin figural fan in my collection   

An excellent post and educational.  Thank you 

 

On 7/30/2024 at 9:03 PM, Jim Kovar said:

Ever since the "fan bug" bit me, I've been enamored by three early figural fans.   All of which embody fanciful or mythical creatures.

Two of which were made by Fort Wayne Electric Works and the other by Menominee Electric.

 

large.73630_081418_030000000.jpg.5083734b4f7e8c86e272e872942fcafc.jpg.3af45590362d157fb6c025982e2e01c6.jpg

 

Mel, it appears based on Mr. Kovar's extreme infatuation with this Menominee fan motor, if you would be so kind to share a peak of your example, at your convenience, I am sure he would be overwhelmed with joy. 🙂 

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