Historical question: period phonographs

[tesch1932]

Hi,

So, period cabinet phonographs. I'm curious about the "social" history.

How popular were they at the time? Did they sell well? Who was the target audience? In the 20's who would be willing to pay the list price for one?

Also, I know third party phonographs were common, but how common was it, to say, take the components out of a Victrola and fit them into a custom-built cabinet? I'm talking like for a high-end customer who wanted either something unique or to match the rest of their furniture. I think I've seen ads from furniture houses that mentioned this.

I remember my grandparents' apartment, the owners before them built a huge Heathkit stereo system, and had the speakers built into two solid wood corner cabinets. I always thought it was "cool"

Thanks for indulging my thoughts.

[Granby]

I will let others chime in on this BUT I can speak to what I have encountered in my own research on this topic....

In the early 1920's, Americans were fascinated with European designs. There was a lot of wealth during the 1920's and Americans emulated what they saw in Europe. Victor Talking Machine, Columbia, and many off brand companies offered period models to match other home furnishings; Chippendale, Adam, Gothic, and the list goes on.

To your point, Columbia is a good example of a phonograph company that did a good job offering phonographs in cabinets that resembled tables, pianos, etc.

Many dining room sets and other furniture pieces from the 1920's can be found in tudor/elizabethan or french designs... again, European influence. This can also be seen in Architecture from the period.. think 1920's spanish stucco or tudor houses.

My research shows that Colonial revival didn't gain traction until the 1930's...

Back to phonographs: As it pertains to my pet project and life's work, Granby Phonographs, these mostly catered to the trends of the time and the slightly higher end consumer. But not always, sometimes a period phonograph may have just been a touch of class in a normal 1920's home, especially with the low weekly or monthly payments that the big stores offered.

I will quit rambling on but period phonographs did fit a niche in phonograph design. "Most" of the time, they did cost a little bit more. But, during the late teens and early 1920's, this was the trend, at least as it pertains to my research.

Have fun researching. Look up some furniture store ads and architectural designs from the period...

[BillH_NJ]

Interesting. Colonial Revival started to become popular as an architectural style in the earlier 20th century. Our house, in Plainfield, NJ, is late Victorian Shingle Style bu5 already has a few Colonial Revival touches. Many of the houses in the neighborhood from around 1910 or 1920 are clearly Colonial Revival designs. I’m not sure what that means for furniture styles. A Victorian house like ours would not have been “old” in 1910 or 1915, although perhaps a bit outdated already.

Bill

[Granby]

Cool deal - I know exactly what you mean. Now that you mention it, I do recall see Sears Homes catalog from the teens and early 1920's emphasizing colonial features...

When I was first diving into my research, I asked a docent at a large 1920's Tudor mansion (now historic attraction) what the fascination was with in the 1920's with European influence. The architectural answer I received was that Americans new to "wealth" wanted to emulate the styles seen in the aristocracy in Europe. However, the restoration that occurred in Colonial Williamsburg, VA !(1920's) really kicked off the full on Colonial Revival boom seen in my area.... my area being Virginia, MD, NC, etc....

The market crash in 1929 changed everything and as America emerged from those dark days, so did furniture and architecture designs... you know, stream lined, and so on.

Hope this helps add a little Virginia connection to the discussion, if nothing more. I hope I haven't strayed too far... I probably have.

But, when I was researching the history of the furniture business and phonograph design, I did see a lot of parallels in architecture, fashion, furniture, and so on.

[BillH_NJ]

Interesting. I think the roots of the Colonial Revival go back to the centennial celebration in 1876, which is why we can see bits and pieces of it at the end of the 19th century. The dominant influence was still European, though, until considerably later and that probably accounts for the predominance of those styles in the “period” cabinets.

[AmberolaAndy]

All I know is Columbia (especially with their Gothic case machine) and Sonora made the coolest period machines in the early 1920s.

[BillH_NJ]

Love my Sonora Chippendale. It’s a relatively plain design, but fits well with the rest of the architecture and furniture in the house.

[Hit of the Week]

Beautiful machine & setting, Bill!

Iowa Dale

[Raphael]

how common was it, to say, take the components out of a Victrola and fit them into a custom-built cabinet? I'm talking like for a high-end customer who wanted either something unique or to match the rest of their furniture.

I got this a few years ago, apparently a brass dealer commissioned it, and spared no expense.

Raphael

[BillH_NJ]

I doubt you’ll find one like that around.

Bill