“This pair of early rescue masks dates from between the mid-1800s and WWI.
“The black leather helmet on the left is labeled “Respirations Apparat” by “G.B.Konic Altona,” and was made in Hamburg, Germany.
“The brass, three-quarter face mask to its right was made in Paris by J. Mandet. This type of breathing mask had a very simple apparatus, allowing only a short range of operation. When used, air would be forced into the helmet through no more than 13 meters of flexible tubing by means of a bellows operated remotely from the outside.
“Both of these masks have mica lenses to help protect the eyes from heat.
One well-known 19th-century manufacturer was named Vajen-Bader”
- Steve Erenberg
It’s like a 19th Century “Daft Punk”…..
Darth Vader and C3PO. The early years!
Dammit!! Almost everybody else on the net got there before me!
The one on the left reminds me of one I saw in the collection of the North Carolina State Museum of History. That one is based on a WWI German “pickelhaube” helmet. Since there was no provenance with it, we weren’t sure just what it was for. (It’s not on display, but if you’re into this, you might ask them about it.)