Baranger Studios
Encyclopedia
Baranger Motion machines or "Baranger Motions" were store-window mechanical animated advertising displays, rented to jewellers, and produced from 1925 to 1959 by the Baranger Company of South Pasadena, California
USA. The dimensions of one typical "motion" were 21" wide, 12" tall, and 12" deep.
ish, or Art Deco
, and they featured simple, repetitive motions performed by the doll-like sculptures. No brand names or jeweller's names appeared on the displays; most of them pitched the generic idea of buying diamonds or watches. A typical motion showed technicians working on a "diamond reactor" with dials labelled "fire" and "sparkle," and a plaque noting that "Your diamond will appear much larger in one of our modern mountings." Many depicted couples courting or honeymooning, often in fanciful surroundings such as a Well Fargo stagecoach. Placards often suggested that a diamond could facilitate a favorable courtship outcome: "You will always be on the right road with one of our beautiful diamonds." One is described by a dealer:
The displays were designed by Arch E. Baranger, Hazel J. Baranger and Robert Gerlach and manufactured in runs of about 30 each. A total of 167 different designs were produced. The displays were never sold but rented to jewellers under a contract in which the displays were rotated monthly, each jeweller returning the old one and receiving a new one to display.
Collectors of these motions prize them highly, and as of 2006 they appear to command mid-four-figure asking prices; one sold in 2005 for $6500.
The Baranger Studios building itself is well known in South Pasadena, and some cited it as their favorite building in one survey.
About a hundred of the motions are displayed in the Circus Building of the House on the Rock
, a tourist attraction in Spring Green, Wisconsin
.
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
USA. The dimensions of one typical "motion" were 21" wide, 12" tall, and 12" deep.
History
Their appearance was toy-like, cartoonCartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
ish, or Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
, and they featured simple, repetitive motions performed by the doll-like sculptures. No brand names or jeweller's names appeared on the displays; most of them pitched the generic idea of buying diamonds or watches. A typical motion showed technicians working on a "diamond reactor" with dials labelled "fire" and "sparkle," and a plaque noting that "Your diamond will appear much larger in one of our modern mountings." Many depicted couples courting or honeymooning, often in fanciful surroundings such as a Well Fargo stagecoach. Placards often suggested that a diamond could facilitate a favorable courtship outcome: "You will always be on the right road with one of our beautiful diamonds." One is described by a dealer:
- 1950s USA Baranger CO's RARE Honeymoon Motion Rocket- As seen in Kitahra's Book Yesterdays Toys. This is one of perhaps 6 or 7 Surviving rare Baranger Motion Display Rockets. Moon Rotates as rocket pitches & Yaws up & down. Honeymoon couple turn towards each other & pilots turns head to look at the couple. Amazing Electric Powered action. Probably the 1st or 2nd most coveted of all the baranger displays. Buck Rogers inspired rocket design with beautiful Art Deco period touches.
The displays were designed by Arch E. Baranger, Hazel J. Baranger and Robert Gerlach and manufactured in runs of about 30 each. A total of 167 different designs were produced. The displays were never sold but rented to jewellers under a contract in which the displays were rotated monthly, each jeweller returning the old one and receiving a new one to display.
Collectors of these motions prize them highly, and as of 2006 they appear to command mid-four-figure asking prices; one sold in 2005 for $6500.
The Baranger Studios building itself is well known in South Pasadena, and some cited it as their favorite building in one survey.
About a hundred of the motions are displayed in the Circus Building of the House on the Rock
House on the Rock
The House on the Rock, originally opened in 1959, is a complex of architecturally unique rooms, streets, gardens and shops designed by Alex Jordan, Jr...
, a tourist attraction in Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,444 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green.-Geography:Spring Green is located at ....
.
External links
Images of Baranger Motions:- Mice repairing a watch
- Space ship and moon
- Detailed view of "Honeymoon rocket"
- "Honeymoon express"
- "Grandfather's Clock"
- Wells Fargo stagecoach
- Sawing a woman in half "He could have won her with one of our beautiful diamonds"
- Pollackmuseum.com
