Philco Transitone Portable Radio, Model 49-602, 1948-1949
Add to SetSummary
This radio marks several shifts in radio design and materials. As manufacturers began using plastic for radio case designs, the color palette widened. Transitone consumers could choose between ivory, maroon, brown, and green. This unit also echoes the rising trend of portability. Tube-driven radios like this would eventually yield to competition from the spread of transistor technology in the mid-1950s.
This radio marks several shifts in radio design and materials. As manufacturers began using plastic for radio case designs, the color palette widened. Transitone consumers could choose between ivory, maroon, brown, and green. This unit also echoes the rising trend of portability. Tube-driven radios like this would eventually yield to competition from the spread of transistor technology in the mid-1950s.
Artifact
Portable radio
Date Made
1948-1949
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
85.68.4
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of John Wright.
Material
Leather
Metal
Plastic
Rubber (Material)
Dimensions
Height: 9 in
Width: 5 in
Length: 10 in
Inscriptions
front: PHILCO Transitone back, behind cover: PHILCO To operate on battery . . . PHILCO To use an external antenna . . . Model 49-602 121 sticker: J55617 sticker: Listed Under Reexamination Service UL Underwriters Laboratory
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