8 thoughts on “Vintage Hawaiian Electric: “…such work is a pleasure.””

1. nancy December 5, 2013 at 7:26 pm

   i’m sorry, but ironing is never a pleasure for me!

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2. R Ferdun December 5, 2013 at 8:50 pm

   I remember the days when my mother used to iron sheets, pillow cases. and handkerchiefs not to mention dresses, shirts and pants. But, not for a long time. Why did she stop? Maybe no time; maybe changing expectations; maybe better fabrics.

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3. Martha December 5, 2013 at 9:31 pm

   I think the ad is more likely from the 1910 era (unless they were being “nostalgic”. Here is the same image with different text: The Hawaiian star. (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, September 10, 1909, Page FOUR, Image 4
   Persistent link: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015415/1909-09-10/ed-1/seq-4/

   http://www.flickr.com/photos/uhmlibrary/11232991626/

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   1. Ian Lind Post authorDecember 6, 2013 at 5:14 am

      Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia’s entry on clothes irons:

      The early electric irons had no easy way to control their temperature, and the first thermostatically controlled electric iron appeared in the 1920s. Later, steam was used to iron clothing. Credit for the invention of the steam iron goes to Thomas Sears. The first commercially available electric steam iron was introduced in 1926 by a New York drying and cleaning company, Eldec, but was not a commercial success. The $10 Steam-O-Matic of 1938 was the first steam iron to achieve any degree of popularity, and led the way to more widespread use of the electric steam iron during the 1940s and 1950s.

      That makes me think it could have been the 1920s.

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4. LR Gardner December 6, 2013 at 8:55 am

   They had me at vexation.

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5. Brandon December 6, 2013 at 10:04 am

   I’d say the ad is from the twenties. That kind of typeface was in vogue back then.

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6. Allen N. December 6, 2013 at 12:36 pm

   Working with an electric iron a “pleasure?” It would be for people back then who had to previously deal with the heavy, bulky irons that were heated by charcoal or kerosene.

   All a matter of keeping things in historical perspective, folks.

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7. Johnson December 7, 2013 at 1:48 am

   I finished the ironing once. We’d been married 7 years. I was*very* hapai, and had that nesting thing going on.

   That was 44 years ago. Ever since then, the ironing’s been piling up a bit.

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