One of the objects that I worked on during my internship that stood out the most to me was a handmade crystal radio. This type of radio is quite special because it does not have any battery or internal electrical storage, it is in fact powered by the very radio waves it is designed to receive. In the earliest versions of this radio, there is an antenna that receives the radio waves, and sends the energy through a crystal diode made of a rare metal, to the headphones that are directly attached to the diode. The more complex the construct becomes, the more you are able to affect the radio waves that the antenna receives. For example, the crystal radio in our collection has an inductor coil and a capacitor, which allows you to alter the radio wave by tuning the frequency, making the sound clearer, and in more advanced set ups, change which radio waves the antenna receives.

This style of radio was predominately created by relatively low income people as a hobby, due to the fact that it did not require any power source other than the radio waves. The simplicity of the construct and the low cost of the parts needed allowed for anyone to build and experiment with this new technology. The popularity of these radios drastically rose in the 1920s, due primarily to the emergence of commercial broadcasting such as the news and entertainment programming. There were even designs and instruction manuals found in magazines, encouraging enthusiasts to try different materials, as well as demystifying the science of how the technology works. Now the common person was able to access the broadcasting that was previously limited to wealthier people who could afford a manufactured radio. What's more amazing is that these simple radios are still being made by curious hobbyists today! You can find designs using even simpler materials than the original constructs, such as cardboard tubes, tape, and metal clips.

When I first saw the object, it looked like a bundle of wires and knobs on a block of wood with a metal plate sticking out of it. However, as I untangled all the parts, and discovered that there was a pair of headphones almost hidden, I realized how interesting this object really was. It was obviously something constructed by someone who could not afford an expensive device, since it was basically a piece of wood with a square piece of metal attached. The person who made this object attached the radio parts to the metal plate and finally connected the headphones. Such a simple design, with no cover or housing, just the bare minimum needed to enjoy the radio.

After untangling all the wires and trying to develop a game plan on how I was going to gather the data needed for the catalog record, I began to find the engraved maker’s marks on the individual parts used to construct the radio. This gave me a path of research to follow where I was able to identify the capacitor, in this case called a “Cogswell Condenser,” which was produced by Alden-Napier Manufacturing. From this observation I was able to start identifying the other parts of the radio, such as the antenna and diode, mounted on the top of the aluminum plate right above the main dial. I also was able to uncover the receiver coil (the circle of green wire seen in the image), as well as the headphones, which also had an engraving of their manufacturer. I was amazed that all this could come from what originally looked like a bundle of old wires and “stuff,” but in fact held a great story.

-written by David Reisine, Collections Intern