MODEL E Vacuum Cleaner

The Model E was introduced in 1954 to address the hefty weight (37 pounds!) and heavy price tag (almost $100 - in 1954!) of the tank-like Model LX. The ads for this model stressed "light weight" and "low price."

The Model E came with but two cleaning attachments as standard equipment -- a combination floor and rug tool, and a combination dusting and upholstery nozzle. This was the first model to feature what would become the two staples of the Electrolux attachment set from then on, indeed, right up to the present day (although they are more cheaply made today). This modest complement of attachments was portrayed as an advantage, not a disadvantage, by Electrolux marketers: Advertising trumpeted how the housewife can "clean the entire home with but two attachments!" Of course, numerous other attachments were offered at additional cost, from the lowly 49¢ crevice tool to the $29.75 "air-powered floor polisher and scrubber."

This is, overall, my favorite of all Electroluxes, for many reasons. No, it is not as high-styled as the Model XXX, as over-the-top "Populuxe" as the Model G, nor as rare as the Model 20. It's my favorite more for nostalgic reasons than any other. That, along with its pure, understated design which in a twist of irony makes it look very elegant indeed.

I won't go on and on about this machine, but will instead let the following photos speak for themselves.