Am I right: Were vintage medicine cabinets made in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s so much more interesting — not to mention, heavier-duty — than today? I recently picked up this catalog showcasing mid-century medicine cabinets, and I count 42 different variations. 42! Plus, check out the towel bars, soap dishes and other chromium, aka chrome-plated accessories. I scan, therefore I am, and I’ve scanned all 34 pages…
… (1) so that you can identify the medicine cabinets that may be in your home, (2) for your viewing pleasure and/or the hunt, and (3) for history’s sake. I’m not 100% positive, but I think, from the notation, that the brochure was published in late 1955.
Tips to view slide show: Click on the first thumbnail… it will enlarge… proceed to next slide via arrows below image… you can start/stop at any slide.
laurenjanelle says
Wow, that’s quite the collection. I like the circular style.
johnny dollar says
re: slot in back of medicine cabinet: i’ve pulled at least 2 or 3 vintage medicine cabinets out of walls, and been greeted by an avalanche of rusty, nasty razor blades… 8 *
cookieknits says
Well, Johnny Dollar, that solves one of the mysteries the four year old inside me has been pondering for many years. Thanks, although, I think I like my way better. ;p
johnny dollar says
i would prefer your way too 🙂
Patty says
One has to wonder what they were thinking when they designed the razor blade drop. But then you have to remember this was also in the days of just throwiing your trash out the car window. So obviously, they were not thinking very long term.
Wendy M says
Since bathrooms seem to be the theme right now, can I ask a question that is slightly off-topic? We have a little soap holder in our bathroom that hangs over the counter and is attached to the backsplash. It has a little bottle-cap type circle that pushes into a bar of soap, then the soap magnetically attaches to the underside of the arm. The brand name is “Zack”. Just wondering if any of you have any info on these…when (and if!) they were popular, etc. If it helps narrow it down, the house was built in 1964.
Eartha Kitsch says
Wendy, yours may be older but I have seen these still made today by that same company: http://www.proleno.com/stainless-steel-zack-marino-magnetic-soap-holder-10890-0.html
Wendy M says
Thanks for the reply, Eartha! I saw one in a “Real Simple” magazine (of all places!) so at least I knew what it was. I’m curious to find out if it was popular at one time, or a somewhat obscure item.
(I’ll take this opportunity to tell you directly how much I love your kitchen…I’ve gone back to that post a couple of times to look at what you did with it…it’s fantastic!)
MrsW. says
This may be of interest: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/index.php?s=magnetic+soap+holder
Wendy M says
Mystery solved…thanks so much for posting the link!
cookieknits says
Believe it or not, my grandmother had one of the fluorescent side light ones (p.14) in her kitchen! I always wondered about the used razor blade drop. Where did the blades end up? How long would it take before it filled up? I imagined a pipe leading deep into the ground from above Nana’s kitchen sink, full of Pa’s old, rusty razor blades. Talk about hazardous waste!
It never occurred to me to wonder why they had a medicine cabinet in their kitchen.
MrsW. says
My grandmother’s house (built in 1935) has a medicine cabinet in the kitchen, too. They put it there because the house has only one bathroom and they had a large family, so people would shave/brush their teeth/do their hair, etc. in the kitchen, leaving the bathroom free for more “pressing” activities. Now most families are half the size, and most of us can’t imagine life without at least two bathrooms! Talk about Mid-Century Modest!
Julie P says
The cabinet on the cover is in the main bath of our 1955 house. I think the size of ours is a bit larger. We LOVE it! The plastic cover for the light has yellowed a bit. I may try to hunt down a replacement cover someday.
Mary Anne Grammer says
Mine has yellowed too. The hardware store clerk said that new covers can be fabricated — but how do you take them off?
dale says
I have one similar to the center unit in image 23 (never noticed the manufacturer). Our kitchen is mismatched Hoosier-style cabinets and I use it and two more old bath cabinets (one wood) grouped as extra storage for spices and such. You could also group them on a large bathroom wall more as an assemblage of mirrors if so inclined.
Abigail Grotke says
Image 6 looks just like the cabinet in my grandmother’s house (now my dad’s house).
I love the towel link! Never heard of that!
Trouble says
I wish I had a bigger bathroom to do more with. Mine is the 5′ x 8′ design with the sink, toilet and tub all along the same wall. I’m restoring the medicine cabinet that will be used. In fact, it’s sitting right here next to me! Gonna blast it and reshoot it white, due to a yellowed discoloration inside.
I wish I could reproduce the “Razor blades” lable inside but I’m too lazy to go to a place that makes decals!
Robin says
This is so interesting! Thanks for sharing!
My husband and I picked up a lighted medicine cabinet (just like the middle one on page 23, but our cabinet has lights on both sides) a few months ago. We spotted in in the corner while cruising through the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I knew we couldn’t leave without it, so we took it to the counter and took it home for $5.00!!
While cleaning it up, we found the date on the back of the mirror, September 13, 1954….SCORE! we are trying to figure out how to work it into our bathroom theme because these really are handy storage pieces…
wendy says
I saw the exact same cabinet shown in photo #4 at an estate sale recently! It was in a large and fabulous pink and blue bathroom with a corner princess tub and large formica corner vanity. The realtor selling the home was also there, and told me that it was originally a small bedroom. The owner converted it into a bathroom for his wife, so she could have a nice big space. It was dreamy 🙂 If I ever find the little transfer cord for my phone, I’ll post some photos I took.
Trouble says
Just send the pics to your computer as a pix message. Instead of a phone # type in your email address as the recipient!
wendy says
I would, except I don’t subscribe to internet on my phone. (I’m on the internet enough without having phone access!!) If I do use it, I’m sure they’ll charge me some ridiculous amount.