A new wearable radio was all the rage in Paris 78 years ago. Great
pictures from the May 1938 issue of Short Wave and Television magazine.
-Ed Cummings
http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/the-futuristic-walkman-of-1938-wasnt-very-portable-1789232591
The Futuristic Walkman of 1938 Wasn't Very Portable
[]
May 1938 issue of Short Wave and Television magazine (Novak Archive)
Today we take it for granted that we can bring music with us wherever
we go. But that obviously wasn't always the case. As just one example
of how cumbersome portable music could sometimes be, take a look at
this portable radio receiver from 1938. It was all the rage in France.
The May 1938 issue of Short Wave and Television magazine included a
photo-filled spread of new radio sets that had recently been featured
at an electronics exhibit in Paris. As you can see in the photo on
the far left, the latest "portable radio" included a strap so that
you could lug it around with you.
Radio miniaturization was happening at a quick pace in the 1920s, and
this was far from the only portable radio of the 1930s. But it's a
decent reminder that portability is and always has been relative. I,
for one, think that the strap-radio actually looks pretty cool, even
if it's a bit impractical. And given the technological
<http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/wwii-ad-promised-that-tv-was-just-around-the-corner-1782776393>advances
of the time, its size was probably as much for show as it was anything else.
May 1938 issue of Short Wave and Television magazine (Novak Archive)
Sometimes being chic is at odds with efficiency and convenience. Not
that there's anything wrong with that.
_______________________________________________
Swlfest mailing list
[email protected]
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest
To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to
[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown
above.
For more information on the Fest, visit:
http://www.swlfest.com
http://swlfest.blogspot.com
