Sharp QT 50 Portable Radio Cassette Player, 1986
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Artifact Overview
In the early 1980s Japanese electronics manufacturers began to develop a sense of how to shape American tastes in design, terming their approach "lifestyle design." This boombox represents the first example of a Japanese electronics firm tapping into the international trend toward postmodernist design. It references 1930s American streamline design, while simultaneously drawing inspiration from 1950s American vernacular design.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Radio receiver
Date Made
1986
Creators
Place of Creation
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
2009.109.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Plastic
Metal
Color
Peach (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 5 in
Width: 16 in
Length: 3.5 in
Inscriptions
On front: SHARP/ STEREO RADIO CASSETTE RECORDER/ QT-50/ POWER/ FM/ STEREO/.../
In front of dialing wheels: VOLUME/ BALANCE L R/ TONE LOW HIGH/ FM MODE/ BAND/ TUNING
On silver label on back: SHARP MODEL NO. QT-50(P)/ STEREO RADIO CASSETTE RECORDER/ AC 120V 60 MHz 9W/.../ SERIAL NO. 51214346 ®/ SHARP ELECTRONICS CORPORATION MADE IN JAPAN/.../
On teal sticker: SHARP®/ AUTO STOP/ SOFT EJECT AC/DC/ Cue & Review System
On pink sticker: SELECTED/ FASHION/ FOR YOU
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