At Home...in a Century of Progress: 1920-1950
Objects Electric table radio, 1938
Electric table radio, 1938

Made by Firestone
Air Chief model
Wood, metal, glass

Florence McLain, a teacher in Pleasant Hill, Illinois, used this radio in a boardinghouse where she lived. Her favorite program was "Moon River" during which the announcer read poems in his "deep, smooth voice." While at Pleasant Hill, Florence met and married a fellow teacher. The marriage had to be kept secret so she could keep her job. During the Depression the school board would not employ a married woman teacher. The radio was her companion during their time apart.

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Smith, Sr., Decatur, IL (1990.16)



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