Ice gun, 1935
Unknown American; Manufacturer: Opco Companyexpand_more
Enameled steel, chrome, rubberexpand_more
The Modernism Collection, gift of Norwest Bank Minnesotaexpand_more 98.276.219.1
On View in Gallery 379expand_more
It could have leapt from a 1930s Buck Rogers science fiction comic strip. But instead of death rays, this gun fired ice into cocktail glasses. Activated by a spring-loaded plunger and trigger mechanism, it crushed ice cubes and “shot” the ice spray out through the rubber gasket, to the delight of guests. This gadget connected the new cocktail culture that took hold after the repeal of Prohibition (which outlawed the sale of alcohol in the United State between 1920 and 1933) with popular science and interest in space travel. The product brochure says the shaved ice can also fill the “ice bag,” presumably to hold against your aching head after too many cocktails.
Details
- Title
- Ice gun
- Role
- Designer
- Accession Number
- 98.276.219.1
- Curator Approved
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