Thread Number: 57270
/ Tag: Vintage Dishwashers
The Draper Dishwasher: |
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Post# 795930   11/25/2014 at 11:25 (3,411 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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In another thread, there was some curiosity about the dishwasher seen on the set of the Draper kitchen in Mad Men. It's clear at a glance that it's a D & M machine, but which D & M machine?
Below is an enlarged detail from a still frame, showing the clearest view of the dishwasher's control panel I can find. This had to be heavily tweaked for contrast, gamma and focus to get it this clear, so no kvetching that you want a clearer shot, mmkay? John combo52? Whaddya think? |
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Post# 795931 , Reply# 1   11/25/2014 at 11:31 (3,411 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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The coffee service on the counter above the DW is the kind of little "touch" set decorators pride themselves on. The stuff is called Ikora, from the German manufacturer WMF (Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik). It's silverplate with a fancy surface treatment, done with heat and chemicals, to give it a pearlized look.
Since Betty Draper's ethnic heritage is German - her maiden name was Hofstadt - this makes Ikora a very suitable choice for her character. |
Post# 795935 , Reply# 2   11/25/2014 at 12:13 (3,411 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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The coffee server, at least, looks like it has an insulated metal shell or cozy over the ceramic pot. A family friend had a tea pot with a metal cover with insulation. |
Post# 795937 , Reply# 3   11/25/2014 at 12:23 (3,411 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Yes, the coffee pot has an insulated outer shell over a white ceramic pot. The sugar and creamer also have removable shells. The surface of Ikora was not supposed to get put in the dishwasher, nor could it withstand harsh cleaning methods of any kind. It had a lacquer layer over the pearlization, and if the lacquer became eroded, it was goodbye, Charlie for the finish.
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Post# 795944 , Reply# 4   11/25/2014 at 13:53 (3,411 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 795951 , Reply# 5   11/25/2014 at 15:56 (3,411 days old) by scoots (Chattanooga TN)   |   | |
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My grandmother gave my mother this coffee set; it's gone now and I miss it greatly, not only because it was stylish, but for sentimental reasons.
It was beautiful, with a dimensional look to the brushed metal shell, but as Sandy pointed out, the lacquer could not be damaged or the whole thing turned into a rusty mess. How ours ever got damaged, I will never know, it was NEVER used and set aside as a show set. We did live in a damp and foggy climate in coastal California at the time, perhaps it was the climate itself that did it in. |
Post# 795955 , Reply# 6   11/25/2014 at 16:30 (3,411 days old) by cuffs054 (MONTICELLO, GA)   |   | |
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Could the round blurred mark be a W for westinghouse? |
Post# 795956 , Reply# 7   11/25/2014 at 16:35 (3,411 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 795963 , Reply# 8   11/25/2014 at 18:20 (3,411 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)   |   | |
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Post# 795997 , Reply# 9   11/25/2014 at 23:02 (3,411 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 796017 , Reply# 10   11/26/2014 at 04:44 (3,411 days old) by alr2903 (TN)   |   | |
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Kelvinator? This post was last edited 11/26/2014 at 06:07 |
Post# 796025 , Reply# 11   11/26/2014 at 06:59 (3,411 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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The only reason I would not say early 70s was that the period had fake woodgrain on everything, it seemed. John is on a trip so he might not see the question until a bit later than usual. I wonder if this could be the D&M Speed Queen DW. |
Post# 796028 , Reply# 12   11/26/2014 at 07:45 (3,411 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 796029 , Reply# 13   11/26/2014 at 07:51 (3,411 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 796031 , Reply# 14   11/26/2014 at 07:57 (3,411 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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I have seen this starburst design on a D&M panel before, think it was Kelvinator. The selector buttons look mid-70's Kenmore like to me, it wasn't uncommon to see similar knobs and buttons across the D&M offerings and spanning several years of manufacturing.
Like Johnny Cash working at the Cadillac factory! |
Post# 796054 , Reply# 15   11/26/2014 at 12:00 (3,410 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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....Someone can really nail this DW, because it's driving me nuts. I have everything else in this kitchen I.D.'d, even the laminate on the counters (Arborite's 'Sky Tulle,' which is current stuff, but looks vintage, except for its matte finish, which was a plus for filming, since it does not create unwanted reflections).
But not the DW. AHHHHHHHHH! And grrh. :) |
Post# 796061 , Reply# 16   11/26/2014 at 12:55 (3,410 days old) by classiccaprice (Hampton, Virginia)   |   | |
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Post# 796063 , Reply# 17   11/26/2014 at 13:01 (3,410 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 796068 , Reply# 18   11/26/2014 at 13:21 (3,410 days old) by classiccaprice (Hampton, Virginia)   |   | |
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Nope, I seemed to recall something else there... Turns out it was the cabinets before the dishwasher.
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Post# 796114 , Reply# 19   11/26/2014 at 18:42 (3,410 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)   |   | |
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The Partridge Family had a Caloric kitchen and their Dishwasher looked very similar to the one they had. |
Post# 796126 , Reply# 20   11/26/2014 at 20:28 (3,410 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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It's a Gaffers & Sattler. Here's a link to a similar unit: CLICK HERE TO GO TO roto204's LINK
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Post# 796131 , Reply# 21   11/26/2014 at 21:03 (3,410 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Hats off to you, because you have definitely solved the mystery: "What brand is this?" Looking at your photo above, which appears to be a later model than the unit chez Draper, the indicia, their fonts, everything is a match.
However, we are still left with other mysteries, which may not be solved anytime soon. The site you linked to is quite interesting, but the author makes a very simple, yet critical mistake when they assume the dishwasher is at least as old as the acquisition of Gaffers & Sattler by Magic Chef. The Website that author links to in support of their theory that the DW goes back to 1969 at the latest actually says that Magic Chef acquired G & S in 1969, not that there were no more G & S-branded appliances after that date. In fact, both the Draper DW and the one in the photo you posted look very much like "acquisition specials' - cheaply-made appliances using a once-exalted name. 1950s and early 1960s Gaffers & Sattlers appliances I've seen pictured are obviously well-made, expensive, luxurious appliances. These two dishwashers are no such thing. And I know enough about their D & M DNA to suspect that they're later than 1969. I am under a distinct impression that Gaffers & Sattler was very much a West Coast brand, not often seen in the East. I have never seen one of their appliances in person. If that is true, that would put Betty Draper's dishwasher rather a long way from home. At any rate, we don't know everything yet, but we have an excellent start, thanks to you, Nate. Cheers! |
Post# 796134 , Reply# 22   11/26/2014 at 21:09 (3,410 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 796141 , Reply# 24   11/26/2014 at 21:42 (3,410 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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While I can certainly believe that D & M made the identical dishwasher for Kelvinator, I am persuaded that the Draper DW is a Gaffers & Sattler.
If you will look at the photo Nate posted, you will see the Gaffers & Sattler logo in the center of the control panel, under the words "Automatic Dishwasher" in script. Now look at the photo I posted. While it's blurry, the logo matches the one on Nate's example. Last, there is an example of the Kelvinator logo posted upthread, by alr2903. It does not match the control panel of the Draper unit. Because D & M would make damn near anything for damn near anybody, I can certainly believe that they made a Kelvy version identical except for the logo. But I'm also convinced that the Draper machine has a G & S logo. |
Post# 796154 , Reply# 26   11/26/2014 at 22:10 (3,410 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
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Post# 796156 , Reply# 27   11/26/2014 at 22:29 (3,410 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 796157 , Reply# 28   11/26/2014 at 22:39 (3,410 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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You're absolutely right, Sandy--recall that Chambers D&M I have hiding in the shed. The Mercedes of stoves? You betcha! Not so much the dishwasher, though. It was a cute match style-wise to the built-ins of the time, and there were elements that were slightly better than your average D&M, but it was still a D&M--clearly made so that they could have a fuller-line offering. And yes, as with any brand, the date of the sale means nothing when the trademark gets exercised for years to keep it from expiring, so the blog is dead wrong there.
Of course, they were dead wrong when they posited that they had the oldest dishwasher on Earth. ;-) CLICK HERE TO GO TO roto204's LINK
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Post# 796174 , Reply# 29   11/27/2014 at 03:51 (3,410 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)   |   | |
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I'm glad to see someone else mentioning Mad Men... I've been hooked on this show the last week or so, watching 6 seasons in less than 10 days...
I was hooked on this show because of the scene shots I saw... The decor has me hooked... The infidelity sickens me.... :/ To the point Don was causing headaches........ |
Post# 796180 , Reply# 30   11/27/2014 at 06:52 (3,410 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)   |   | |
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Post# 796188 , Reply# 31   11/27/2014 at 08:27 (3,410 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 796215 , Reply# 32   11/27/2014 at 12:15 (3,409 days old) by hydralique (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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If I were shopping for a dishwasher in the period and confronted with two or three identical machines with different branding I would surely pay extra for the one with the starbust on the control panel! |
Post# 796219 , Reply# 33   11/27/2014 at 12:43 (3,409 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 796229 , Reply# 34   11/27/2014 at 13:54 (3,409 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 796357 , Reply# 35   11/28/2014 at 15:01 (3,408 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 796379 , Reply# 36   11/28/2014 at 16:50 (3,408 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 797741 , Reply# 37   12/6/2014 at 16:02 (3,400 days old) by electronicontrl (Grand Rapids, MI)   |   | |
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Post# 797771 , Reply# 38   12/6/2014 at 19:46 (3,400 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 798807 , Reply# 39   12/12/2014 at 21:15 (3,394 days old) by pturo (Syracuse, New York)   |   | |
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I think the stylists didn't assume WE were watching MADMEN. |
Post# 798808 , Reply# 40   12/12/2014 at 21:16 (3,394 days old) by pturo (Syracuse, New York)   |   | |
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I think the stylists didn't assume WE were watching MADMEN. |
Post# 803548 , Reply# 42   1/11/2015 at 23:37 (3,364 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 804829 , Reply# 43   1/19/2015 at 01:37 (3,357 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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It looks like they used the dishwasher in another set with different panels!
I have the same 1963 Frigidaire fridge and 1959 Frigidaire Imperial oven but on mine, the colors are reversed (and my oven lacks a window).
I also have the Custom Imperial double wall oven version with the same door as in the single oven Imperial on the Mad Men set. |
Post# 804860 , Reply# 44   1/19/2015 at 08:40 (3,357 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
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Post# 804862 , Reply# 45   1/19/2015 at 08:48 (3,357 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 804874 , Reply# 46   1/19/2015 at 12:16 (3,356 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 804902 , Reply# 47   1/19/2015 at 15:04 (3,356 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 804919 , Reply# 48   1/19/2015 at 17:37 (3,356 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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Post# 804924 , Reply# 49   1/19/2015 at 18:26 (3,356 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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