Phonograph
Brant Museum and Archives
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| Nom de l'objet : | Phonograph |
| Titre : | Victrola VV-IV Phonograph |
| Catégorie de l'objet : | 6: T&E For Communication |
| Sous-catégorie de l'objet : | Sound Communication T&E |
| Matériaux : | Oak |
| Numéro d'accession : | 2009.74.02.01 |
| Date de début de production : | 1915 |
| Date de fin de production : | 1915 |
| Description : | Every Victor phonograph has a metal dataplate affixed either on or near the motorboard (for machines with lids), on the side of the phonograph (for most external horn and lidless models). |
| Fonctions : | This machine is the VV-IV model and was built in 1915 (which we can tell from its serial number since 163500-215000 were produced that year). Victor products that were intended for sale in the Canadian market will have an additional "Berliner Gram-0-Phone" tag underneath the ID tag. Some of these phonographs were produced at the main Victor Camden NJ plant, while others were made in Canada. Note that some Canadian machines have a "C" prefix prior to the serial number. Machines with an "E" prefix usually signify that they were intended for export to foreign markets. The IV was Victor's lowest priced model for many years. Production was started in September of 1911. Full production was discontinued in early 1924; however VV-IV's were still being assembled and shipped in low volumes as late as the spring of 1926. Catalogs state that the only available finish was oak. Very early VV-IV's had a stamped steel grille covering the horn opening (near left); subsequent versions used conventional wood slats (below). In 1917, the slats were totally removed, revealing a hollow horn opening (right). Apparently, this was not a popular cost-cutting move, and the slats re-appeared the following year. Several design changes were made during production of this Victrola, as indicated by the change of suffix letter after the serial number. Most changes were of a very minor nature. The IV used a simple single-spring motor. The original 1911 selling price of the IV was $15.00. At the end of the model run, it sold new for $25.00. An estimated total of 608,000 Victrola IV's were produced. By the late 20's, Victor's founder, Eldridge Johnson, now a millionaire, was growing weary of the business, and decided to retire. In 1929, RCA purchased The Victor Talking Machine Company, and the new company was called "RCA Victor". By this time, the popularity of the acoustic phonograph was quickly diminishing in favor of the louder and more flexible electronic combination systems, and only cheap portables and children's phonographs continued to utilize acoustic reproduction. In October 1929, the onset of The Depression literally killed the sales of all non-essential commodities, and not until the late 1930's did RCA Victor again experience significant sales of phonographs. |
| Unité de capacité de mesure : | These measurements are for the base of the wooden exterior. |
| Hauteur : | 38.000 |
| Longueur : | 19.000 |
| Largeur : | 33.500 |
| Profondeur : | 0.000 |
| Diamètre extérieur : | 0.000 |
| Unité de mesure linéaire : | cm |
| Établissement : |
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| Ville de l'établissement : | Brantford |
| Province de l'établissement : | Ontario |
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