We live in a ranch house that was built in 1960. Since we moved into this house in 2013, we have furnished the living room with authentic and reproduction Mid Century Modern furniture, and this has also carried over into other rooms of the house. For example, our dining room table and chairs were made by Heywood-Wakefield in the early 1950s; there is a Mid Century display case in the dining room, complete with angled, tapered legs, and a 1950s General Electric refrigerator in the basement which one of the original owners of this house had purchased new.
When I began doing research into the Mid Century Modern phenomenon and the various items, appliances, and furnishings used during that time period, I noticed the name Dishmaster. I had never seen a kitchen faucet like it.
Dishmaster has been around since 1948 and, with a change in ownership, has been made in nearby Mitchell, Indiana since 2004.
The most common Dishmaster appears to have been model M59 Imperial, which was introduced to the market in 1959 and gradually improved over time until the introduction of the current model, the M76 Imperial Four which has been in continuous production since 1976.
There are more contemporary (i.e. “21st Century” style) Dishmasters currently being manufactured, but the M76 Imperial Four retains all of the charm of the 1959 model. Better yet, the company offers reproductions of the older style front panels in two different colors to make the M76 look like a vintage unit.
The Dishmaster is more than just a kitchen faucet. It allows the user to easily wash dishes at the sink without filling the sink with soapy water. And you can wash your dishes fairly quickly with the Dishmaster. The Dishmaster includes a spray brush in place of the typical sprayer. The spray brush has a red button on its side. The Dishmaster assembly includes a reservoir for special detergent. When you turn on the hot water and pull up the knob at the back of the spout, the water begins to spray out of the spray brush. While wiping the dish off with the spray brush, push the red button and some detergent will be dispensed onto the dish or utensil being cleaned. The combination of the detergent, hot water, and the brush itself will clean the dish or utensil quickly. Release the red button and only water will come out of the spray brush, allowing you to rinse off what you were washing. Set the item aside and then wash the next item. It is a very nifty idea which is still quite relevant today.
We had considered a Dishmaster for some time, and recently we decided to give ourselves an early Christmas present and invest in an M76XL Imperial Four, complete with reproduction gold sunburst front panel. You can see it in the photo above. We chose the optional 4” higher spout, to make it very easy to fill pitchers and such.
A quick note: The M76XL allows the spray brush to be mounted to the right of the faucet, in the fourth hole typically found in standard sinks for a sprayer. For the non-XL model M76, the spray brush rests on top of the Dishmaster unit and is made for sinks which do not have the fourth hole for a sprayer.
I have no connection to the company, other than being a satisfied customer. Even if you do not have a Mid Century ranch house, a Dishmaster would be a worthwhile investment in your home. You can see the various faucets the company makes here, and you can even order direct from the factory.
Photo at top: Our new Dishmaster M76XL Imperial Four with optional 4 inch higher spout and reproduction “vintage” front panel. Photo by the author.