Name/Title
Postoscope Artist's Display ProjectorEntry/Object ID
2023.0034.0002Description
Circa 1945 Postoscope Display Artists Projector, Model D was made by the Postoscope Company, a division of F.D. Kees Manufacturing of Beatrice, Nebraska. The F. D. Kees Manufacturing Company was started by Frederick D. Kees in 1874 as a gun and locksmith shop. The company began manufacturing in 1890. Its industry was primarily hardware specialties and its headquarters remained in Beatrice, Nebraska.
According to a 1932 white paper report on projection technology, the Postoscope Company had already been marketing their projector to theatres. They advertised "an easy and inexpensive way to produce striking and attractive posters and displays." The body is a pressed-steel case, finished inside and outside with baked enamel and a crystal finish on the exterior. It has 6 top ventilation slots. It took two 250-watt, no. G-30 lightbulbs in porcelain-base sockets. It has 3 interior mirrors to optically reflect and project. It is dated to roughly the 1940s based on location of manufacturer's tag and type style.Use
The projector was used by Dean Filla, a sign maker and instructor based in Aurora, CO, as well as Filla's father and grandfather.Collection
Permanent CollectionMade/Created
Manufacturer
Postoscope CompanyDate made
1945Time Period
1940 - 1949Place
City
BeatriceState
NebraskaInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Makers MarkLocation
top, center above lensTranscription
The Postoscope Display Artists Projector Model D Made by F.D. Kees Mfg. Co. Beatrice, Nebr., U.S.A.Notes
metal tagDimensions
Height
10 inWidth
13-1/4 inDepth
7-1/2 inMaterial
Tin, lightbulb, Glass