Postoscope Artist’s Display Projector

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.

Fair: there is significant rust all throughout; finish is cracking and lifting from steel and aluminum body; electrical in working order however there is fraying at the cord’s head; base screws loose due to wear and tear at hole