Drying Cabinets have been around Europe, UK and the United States in one form or another for ages, well at least since the early 1920's or so for electric. Older versions would have used a heat source such as a small fire or some such.
Airing cupboards often were built on the otherside of a heating source such as where hot water or steam pipes ran. The low amount of heat was perfect for not only drying items, but keeping the cupboard dry and crisp, perfect in damp climates.
Drying cabinents are just smaller and heated versions of airing cupboards, where laundry was put to dry on days when it could not be hung out of doors due to poor or cold weather. If one goes to old estates, hospitals or such places there are huge drying cabinents where all sorts of laundry from clothing to linens were put to dry.
Modern automatic tumble dryers pretty much put an end to large scale heated drying cabinets. However both domestic and commercial units like the above still hung around for the odd items one could not put into a tumble dryer.
