What is she doing?
 

So I need some help here. DDIL sent me this picture of a relative of a friend of hers from way back when, probably late 40's or early 50's. We are trying to identify what this machine is that she is cranking, and why she is doing it in a suit. Anyone have any ideas????

http://web.mail.comcast.net/service/...auth=co&disp=i

Let me know if you get it now.

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Man it seems like I have seen this machine before but can't remember what it was - will put on my thinking cap

It looks like mail boxes in the background doesn't it? I have no idea.

Is she cranking open the wall panel behind her? We used to have files in the hospital that we had to hand crank to get them moving.

Hmmmm, good idea. I will forward that thought to DDIL.

I can tell you that she was dressed that way because she was at work. Women wore dresses/suits to work and often hats and gloves also. It looks like 1930-40's to me.

Yes, I remember my mother and aunt having suits like that in the late 40's. And the hairdo is definitely 40's, those pincurls. My aunt was a secretary and dressed like that every day. But remember Betty Furness advertising the GE refrigerators? She dressed like that too. I guess I am dating myself.:D
I thought maybe it was a meat grinder, but don't remember anything like that in any kitchen I ever went in.

Air raid siren? To let people know the postal rates are going up.

May be an earlier computer.

Another good one. I like that!

Nope computer was more in the 50s. My DH worked on the early ones, nothing looked like that.

Hee heee ... my Engineer husband looked at for a long time, remarked on the size, shape, amount of manual power that needs to be exerted based on her position, etc etc etc ... then concluded that .......


...... "dunno, but it's not a pencil sharpener".

Thanks, I got a good chuckle out of that one! My DS, who is quite an antique buff has no idea. Google came up with some interesting looking things, but nothing like that.

It tickles my memory.....I will probably dream about it tonight!!

Is it a dumb waiter lift for bringing mail from one floor to another?

Hmmm, it could be moving files. i used to work where they had some tall "walls" of files and you had to crank them to move each section. heaven forbid someone start cranking while you were in there looking!!

Was she cranking out stamps?

Looks like a Compactus, as the others said a form of filing system. The photo seems to show handles poking out sideways....so maybe they are safety deposit boxes in movable banks. Cool photo.

Thanks for all the great ideas, I will forward them to her. The filing system certainly sounds like a possibility; or the safety deposit boxes in moveable banks.

I have no idea. She needs to stand closer, or she will end up with pains.

Now I really want to know what that thing is. Hope someone can come up with the answer.

It reminds me of something I saw on 'I Dream of Jeanie', it showed movies.

Ice cube crusher???

Churning butter :-)

DDIL thought of butter churn, but I never saw one that looked like that. I don't think it would have held enough cream. I remember helping my grandma make butter a couple times and they weren't crank types. Ice crusher was a thought too, but again, it doesn't seem like it would hold much ice. I still go with the meat grinder theory. Or the crank for moving files. DDIL says she is googling all your great thoughts and trying to expand on them. She says "Keep 'em coming!"

Now that cracks me up!!

My DH & I think it looks like a theater curtain crank.

I got it, she is cranking a machine for bubbles on "the Lawrence Welk show. LOL
Penny

So did I! still chuckling at all the effort he went to to arrive at that conclusion.

Does any one in the family remember where she worked? That might help in the identification process.

I was wondering the same thing. I believe the lady is an aunt to DDILs best friend. Unfortunately I believe neither the aunt or the mom are alive, but not positive about the aunt. Haven't had a chance to talk to DDIL since all these wonderful ideas have come in. I think I will e-mail her the link to this thread so she can check out the comments. The friend has also posted this on Facebook trying to get ideas.

maybe a school teacher. in the auditorium opening the curtain for a play.. just a thought

A voting booth?....as good a guessas anything else...lol.

Ladibug

I think it is a voting machine. I used to work the election and when you voted you went in the booth, pulled a curtain, then pulled down a lever for each person you were voting for. After polls closed there was a crank that you attached to the machine that cranked out 8 sheets of paper that were the size of the machine that had the votes and totals on it. I think this resembles that machine.
Jothesewer

I asked my grandparents, who are in their late 80's. Their reply - "She's shredding office documents". I'm going to double-check with my mom. I didn't think shredding or recycling was a thing until the 70's or 80's.... maybe that's because I'm not old enough?

I'd say she was at work, maybe during the war and she is cranking an air raid siren lol

I say she dropped in some coins and is cranking out the postage stamps. Looks like mail boxes in the background.

Everyone has such great ideas. I sent DDIL the link to this thread so she can keep track without continually sending her a new post.

As far as the paper shredding, I am a child of the 40's, and don't remembr there being a lot of paper being around. I never heard of recycling before now. I just remember using handkerchiefs, cloth dish towels for everything. We never had paper towel that I remember. What I remember is "scrimping and saving", maybe the forrunner to recycling.

And yes, it does look like a mailbox, but seems like an awful heavy duty crank for cranking out stamps. We still can't figure out what is in the background, we thought it looked like a picture of "The coliseum".:D

Keep 'em coming guys! Love all the ideas!

I think she is a post mistress