19th century air conditioner used in hot climates

  • 19th century air conditioner used in hot climates
    19th century air conditioner used in hot climates
  • This rare Louisiana Creole Gros Rouge punkah from the late 18th-early 19th century made of Southern Yellow Pine with mortise-and-tenon construction, 40 1/2 x 35 inches, was estimated to sell for $10,000 to $15,000 at Neal Auctions, but it didn’t sell.
    This rare Louisiana Creole Gros Rouge punkah from the late 18th-early 19th century made of Southern Yellow Pine with mortise-and-tenon construction, 40 1/2 x 35 inches, was estimated to sell for $10,000 to $15,000 at Neal Auctions, but it didn’t sell.

    Can you guess what this unfamiliar antique was used for? It is 40 inches high and 35 inches wide and probably made of Southern Yellow Pine.

    It is called a “punkah.” It was made in the early 19th century and used with the help of a man called a “punkah wallah” who pulled a cord to make the punkah swing back and forth like a fan. It was the “air conditioner” used in hot climates, not just in America.