The Emerson Junior Line

The Emerson Junior product line was made from 1921 until Emerson quit making fans in the 1960's. It was a smaller and less expensive line of fans when compared with 12" and 16" main line fans. This article will describe the evolution of these fans. The information contained here is based on the research of Dr. Bill Hoehn, the writings of Kurt House and John Witt, and some pure speculation on my part based on the fans in our collection. The dates in a few cases, are guesses and I encourage anyone to suggest corrections in this area. Note: No badges or fans were harmed during the filming of this article.

The Screw-On Blade Years - 1921 - 1936

From 1921 to 1936 the Junior line used a cast motor with the hollow-shaft screw-on blade design used in the larger Emerson fans. This is a very durable motor that make these the most desirable models in the evolution.

	The first Emerson Junior was made in late 1921 as a high quality, low cost fan. It was a stationary plug fan which means that it did not possess a switch or an oscillating mechanism. The base was not covered and the fan sat on four rubber feet. The example in our collection of this fan has 9" steel Parker blades painted a brass color which seems to be the standard until late in the screw-on blade's production.
	The next Emerson Junior which was made in 1923 had an attractive red, black, and brass badge. It was available in both oscillator and non-oscillator models. The base was covered and contained a switch. The fan still sat on four rubber feet.
	The final Emerson Junior to use the screw-on blade motor was from 1926 to 1936. It was made in 8", 9", and 10" models and had a simpler brass and black badge. The base now had three holes for wall mounting instead of four and was covered with felt.

The Two Bearing Cast Motor Years - 1934 - 1941

In 1934 the "B" Junior line began with a new cast iron motor of a more conventional design using two bearings and a set screw attached blade. This motor was also used in several other fans of this period including the 10" Silver Swan, the Golden Jubilee (6250) and the 21XX, 22XX, and 23XX. The fans were available in 8", 9", and 10" sizes. The earliest badges were brass and of a design similar to the Junior models that proceeded them. Later badges were Silver but I am not quite sure when the change was made. These fans probably all had flat black painted blades. The Emerson B-Jr. line consisted of an 8" oscillator, 10" non-oscillator, 10" oscillator (all single speed), and a two speed 10" oscillator.

The Red Badge Years - 1939 - 1949

This incarnation of the Emerson Junior was a styling update to the fans of the Seabreeze line from the 30s. It used the cloverleaf base and the stamped steel two bearing motor. It added new rounded almost overlapping blades, a bullet back, and a deco styled V cage. These fans came in 10" and 12" sizes. They were the first Juniors to have type numbers, 2660 and 2650. They also were the first Juniors to come in an assortment of metalic colors including bronze, and green.

The Final Years - 1950 - 1970

The final version of the Junior got a new donut shaped base but retained the Seabreeze stamped steel motor. These fans were made in 10" and 12" sizes. The first cage used on these fans had horizontal bars and a horizontal badge offset to one side. I have seen this early fan in metalic green and bronze. This was the last model to bear the Junior name. This loop base fan was re-styled one more time. The last version had a cage made up of concentric rings. The most striking feature of these later donut based Juniors is the badge which is stamped out of aluminum and has images of a knight in armor (St. Louis), the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Emerson pyramid logo. The only colors I have seen in the later series is a metalic medium brown fan body with beige painted blades.