At Home...in a Century of Progress: 1920-1950
Objects Electric coffeemaker, tray, sugar and creamer, ca. 1940-1946
Electric coffeemaker, ca. 1940-1946

Made by Chicago Flexible Shaft Company, Chicago, IL
Sunbeam Coffeemaster, Model C30, designed by Alfonso Ianelli
Chromium-plated metal, plastic, rubber

In 1940 this coffeemaker sold singly for $16.00 or for $23.50 as part of a matched set. Its design was modern, one of many industrial designs by Alfonso Ianelli who was brought to Chicago in 1913 by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Coffeemaster made "perfect coffee automatically" because it controlled the heat of the water when it mixed with the coffee and the brewing time. It and other home appliances of the Chicago Flexible Shaft Company were so successful that the company, which originally made electric horse clippers, changed its name to Sunbeam in 1946.

Illinois State Museum purchase (1979.22.1)



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