KSCdirect

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Although we don't have an exact date for this photo, we know it was taken in Grand Island, NE, most likely at a county fair booth. One clue as to it's date is this poster, with a copyright date of 1926:

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Here are some thumbnails taken from the above photo. Click on them for more detail. (We're curious as to what models these might be, and are looking for some info. If anyone has any ideas, let us know!)

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Here's some history we found about the Kelvinator:

Kelvinator is an appliance company owned by Electrolux of Sweden since 1986. It takes its name from William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, who developed the concept of absolute zero and for whom the Kelvin temperature scale is named. The name was thought appropriate for a company that manufactured ice-boxes and domestic refrigerators.

Kelvinator was founded in 1914, in Detroit; in 1926 it acquired Leonard, which had been founded in 1881. In 1928, George W. Mason assummed control of Kelvinator; under his leadership the company lowered its costs while increasing market share through 1936.

On January 4, 1937, the company merged with Nash Motors to form Nash-Kelvinator Corporation as part of a deal that placed Mason at the helm of the combined company. In 1952 it acquired the Altorfer Bros. Company, which made home laundry equipment under the ABC brand name.

Nash-Kelvinator became a division of American Motors Corporation when Nash merged with Hudson in 1954. Kelvinator introduced the first model frost-free side-by-side refrigerator in the early 1950s. In the 1960s, Kelvinator refrigerators introduced "picture frame" doors on some models allowing owners to decorate their appliance to match décor of their kitchens.

Acquired from AMC by White Consolidated Industries in 1968, Kelvinator joined a company that had acquired the rights to Frigidaire (formerly owned by General Motors), Gibson, Tappan and White-Westinghouse product lines. In the early 1990s, the name of the Dublin, Ohio based holding company changed to Frigidaire Company. In 1986, Frigidaire Corporation was acquired by Sweden's Electrolux.

So Kelly Company had embraced the technology of the time and was helping spread the magic of the Kelvinator south of Detroit, and beyond.

Here's a Kelvinator ad from 1951:

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Surprisingly enough, to us at least, vintage Kelvinator refrigerators are still in demand. We found some very cool (pun intended) models that were recently sold by Antique Appliances.com:

1923 Kelvinator

1935 Kelvinator

For Kelvinator related material, as well as evidence of Kelly Supply's diversity as far back as 1932, please see this post:

1932 Sales Letter from Wm Kelly & Company