Given the crank on the side and the date, quite possibly a Regina or similar music box. I have a mostly restored one in my living room that I got by way of my grandmother. They are remarkably loud — no way to use a phone in the same room while it’s running, and probably not in the adjacent room.
Phonographs, also often called “talking machines”, were becoming very popular in the early 1920s. Recorded lectures, as well as music, were available. Cabinet radios were starting to appear, but the knobs and displays were prominent and are missing in the cartoon.Report
Things were easier before we had telephones.Report
What’s that machine, a photocopier?Report
Given the crank on the side and the date, quite possibly a Regina or similar music box. I have a mostly restored one in my living room that I got by way of my grandmother. They are remarkably loud — no way to use a phone in the same room while it’s running, and probably not in the adjacent room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mjAA6X4CcMReport
It’s also saying “blah blah”, though.Report
Phonographs, also often called “talking machines”, were becoming very popular in the early 1920s. Recorded lectures, as well as music, were available. Cabinet radios were starting to appear, but the knobs and displays were prominent and are missing in the cartoon.Report