Vintage 1947 animated Baranger diamond display

Baranger Motion machines were animated mechanical store window displays made from 1925 to 1959 by the Baranger Company of South Pasadena, California. They were typically rented to jewelers and were changed on a monthly rotation. The example above is currently available on ebay.

From the ebay listing:

Their appearance was toy-like, cartoonish, 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."

Here is the full ebay listing for this animated Baranger diamond display.

[ Thanks Aaron! ]

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