Innovation in Small Appliances

Explore the history of small appliances at General Electric, including irons, toasters, and fans.

Two women use GE Appliances (1908/1912) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

The first appliances

Two women at a table use a variety of early General Electric home cooking heating devices, including a chafing dish. The first appliances were basic appliances such as a fan or a flat iron.

Typical American kitchen, 1885 (1885) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

A pre-electric kitchen

Original Hotpoint iron, 1904 (1904) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

Electric Iron

Earl Richardson of the Pacific Electric Heating Company created the modern electric iron in 1904. Based on his wife's suggestion, he created an iron that ends with a point at the front, in order to improve the ironing of collars.

Earl Richardson, General Electric Company, 0001/1930, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Earl Richardson, the founder of Hotpoint. Richardson started the Pacific Electric Heating Company, which manufactured a variety of heating devices, including grills and irons. With the success of his "hotpoint" iron, Richardson changed the name of the company to Hotpoint. GE purchased Hotpoint and Hughes Electric in 1918 and merged the two companies together to form the Edison Electric Appliance Company, a GE subsidiary. By 1922, the Hughes name disappeared from the ranges, and Hotpoint became the dominant brand name of the company.

Electric Iron Advertising Sign - "Electricity makes the sad iron a glad iron", General Electric Company, 1908/1912, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Electric iron spectacular electric advertising sign, made for the Toronto Electric Light Co. The lights and sign controls were produced by GE. A "sad" iron was a type of pre-electric flat irons.

General Electric Iron Trade-in program, General Electric Company, 1905/1915, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Man poses with a pile of 2000 flat irons traded in for electric flat irons

GE Flat Iron and Toaster Advertisements, General Electric Company, 1905/1910, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Two advertisements from the early 1900s - "Ironing Day Lost its Terror" and "Harken General Electric." Flat Iron and Toaster. Advertisements for St. Joseph Railway, Light, Heat & Power Co. and The Youngstown Consolidated Gas & Electric Co.

Model uses electric iron, 1908, General Electric Company, 1908, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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A model uses an early General Electric flat iron in an advertising photograph. On the left of the ironing board is a stand for the iron. The model is wearing a maid's uniform.

Woman with General Electric Fan (1905/1915) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

Electric fan

A woman leans on a fireplace mantle next to a GE electric fan. The first electric fans were simple motors with blades attached to them. 

Drawing of General Electric Monogram Plate for Electric Fan, 1899, General Electric Company, 1899/1899, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Drawing of a plate featuring the General Electric Monogram for use on a GE electric fan in 1899. The Monogram was first used in 1898.

General Electric Fan - Fort Wayne Electric Works, General Electric Company, 1902/1902, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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1902 General Electric fan, produced by its subsidiary, the Fort Wayne Electric Works, and carrying the FWEW abbreviation in the center of the fan grill.

Woman with General Electric Fan, General Electric Company, 1908/1912, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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A woman sits in a chair next to an early GE electric fan, while holding an umbrella

Grill Advertisement (1905/1915) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

Early 1900s advertisement for a General Electric grill. The advertisement is titled "Steak Electrocuted."

General Electric Model D-12 Electric Toaster, 1908 (1908/1908) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

Toaster

GE introduced the Model D-12 Electric Toaster, the first commercial electric toaster, in 1908. The toaster could only toast one side of a slice of bread at a time. To toast the other side of the bread, the user turned the toast over with their hands.

General Electric D-12 Electric Toaster (1908/1912) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

Woman poses with model D-12 electric toaster. GE introduced the first electric toaster in 1908.

General Electric Appliance Advertisements, Electric Flat Iron and Electric Toaster (1910/1915) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

Pictures of advertising for GE Toaster and Iron. The headline for the first advertisement is "Toast is Delicious." The key message for the electric iron advertisement is "GE Electric Iron Does Away With A World of Drudgery." Advertisement was sponsored by the Alabama Power Company

General Electric Advertisement, "The Home Electrical" (1915/1925) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

The Home Electrical

Advertisement highlights the different uses of electricity in the home,including refrigeration, vacuuming, ironing, washing, dishwashing, phonograph winding, massage, sewing, and heating. By the 1920s, as the majority of Americans had gained access to electricity, GE expanded its consumer appliance lines and began its famous "Initials of a Friend" campaign.

Woman with General Electric Chafing Dish, 1908 (1908/1908) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

Model using a GE chafing dish on a sideboard. The chafing dish in plugged into a nearby light socket.

Electric kitchen, Hillman home, 1905 (1905) by General Electric CompanyMuseum of Innovation & Science

First all-electric kitchen in the home of Henry W. Hillman, GE Heating Devices manager. It includes a percolator, water heaters, an electric frying pan, a grill, and an oven.

Demonstration of "House Electric," Binghamton, NY, March 1909, General Electric Company, 1909/1909, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Three women demonstrate early GE appliances inside a booth. Includes toaster, chafing dishes, percolators, and other home heating devices.

Elderly man and woman use electric toaster and tea kettle., General Electric Company, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Man removes toast from toaster and woman pours tea or coffee into a cup. A scene of Passaic Falls hangs on the wall.

Electric heating and cooking device in Mr. M.O. Troy's residence, Schenectady, NY, General Electric Company, 1908/1912, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Advertising photo showing early electric kitchen appliances, including a grill, fryer, percolator, chafing dish, and oven.

Family eats breakfast using GE electric cooking devices, General Electric Company, 1909/1912, From the collection of: Museum of Innovation & Science
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Man, woman, and child eat breakfast cooked using GE heating devices, including toaster, percolator, and water heater

Credits: Story

This exhibit was developed in 2017 by miSci, the Museum of Innovation & Science. All photos were scanned from the General Electric Photograph Collection.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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