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I have a question for you. In all your travels involving old mortuary equipment & memorabilia have you come across any fans that look like this:
In the 20s-mid30s these large pedestal fans were made, with lights on the side. Some used red bulbs, some had red lenses that went over the bulbs. The theory out there is that these were popular with funeral homes back then because they would blow the flies off the body & the red light would cancel out the body discoloration caused by decomp [red & green cancel each other out; red hides green, and green hides red].
Mind you the one in the picture is incomplete, it would have had a very elaborate front with "fins" to direct the airflow. They're made out of potmetal and the whole thing can turn into dust if you look at it wrong. This one is on ebay and priced high at a grand. Complete working ones are worth $700-1000 apiece. We had a chance to buy one at auction a year or two ago and passed on it because the motor was sized, the front & back were shattered & missing pieces. Still went for 400-something and ended up on eBay same day for $750, can't recall if it actually sold at that price.
But here's where things get interesting. These are commonly called "funeral fans" but no one has yet to find a period [late 20s-early 30s] mortuary catalog trying to sell these to funeral homes. The same fans were also sold to normal consumers to use in their houses, and the advertisements for non-mortuary consumers are out there. Have you come across any in funeral homes like at this auction, or have you ever stumbled upon any mortuary advertisements showing them? I know some people who would be overjoyed with seeing an old mortuary catalog, or other kind of advertisement trying to sell these fans to funeral homes.
In the 20s-mid30s these large pedestal fans were made, with lights on the side. Some used red bulbs, some had red lenses that went over the bulbs. The theory out there is that these were popular with funeral homes back then because they would blow the flies off the body & the red light would cancel out the body discoloration caused by decomp [red & green cancel each other out; red hides green, and green hides red].
Mind you the one in the picture is incomplete, it would have had a very elaborate front with "fins" to direct the airflow. They're made out of potmetal and the whole thing can turn into dust if you look at it wrong. This one is on ebay and priced high at a grand. Complete working ones are worth $700-1000 apiece. We had a chance to buy one at auction a year or two ago and passed on it because the motor was sized, the front & back were shattered & missing pieces. Still went for 400-something and ended up on eBay same day for $750, can't recall if it actually sold at that price.
But here's where things get interesting. These are commonly called "funeral fans" but no one has yet to find a period [late 20s-early 30s] mortuary catalog trying to sell these to funeral homes. The same fans were also sold to normal consumers to use in their houses, and the advertisements for non-mortuary consumers are out there. Have you come across any in funeral homes like at this auction, or have you ever stumbled upon any mortuary advertisements showing them? I know some people who would be overjoyed with seeing an old mortuary catalog, or other kind of advertisement trying to sell these fans to funeral homes.
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