Vacuum cleaner
Category
Historic Services / Cleaning & housekeeping
Date
circa 1910
Materials
wood, metal
Measurements
390 x 303 x 570 mm
Order this imageCollection
Mr Straw's House, Nottinghamshire
NT 740717.1
Caption
Designed in France and built in England in 1910, the Baby Daisy vacuum cleaner was manually operated so there was no need for electricity or fear of electrocution. Two people operated the machine, one pumping the bellows by pushing the handle back and forth, and the second using the attached metal hose to clean the carpet. Dust was collected in a cotton bag inside the machine. Despite being labour intensive, it was better than using a broom to clean the carpets and rugs. It was a cumbersome object, but attention was paid to the design – decorative wrought iron work on the side of the machine spells out ‘daisy’ and depicts two daisies in the centre!
Summary
Wooden box bellows with 'Baby Daisy' label.
Provenance
Straw collection bequeathed to The National Trust on the death in 1990 of William Straw.
Marks and inscriptions
Baby Daisy (label)