John Okolowicz collection, Hagley digital archives. Click to enlarge
“’Shhh, here’s the bedtime story,’” the ad copy reads. “As easily as she finds the page in her book, Grandmother sets the dial of the Kennedy. Riotous fun stops. The familiar voice of a friend whom the children love but have never met fill the room. Popular entertainers are welcome members of the family circle.”
It looks to me like grandmother was on her way to being outsourced, but I don’t think that was the message the Kennedy company was trying to show. Instead, the implication was that radios were something for the whole family, and so easy to operate that even an older person could manage the task.
I am fascinated by advertisements showing grandmothers introducing new technology, not something we see in our media today. This particular grandmother was obviously quite well off. The radio alone cost a whopping $142.50 in 1925, or about about $2000 today. The well appointed room and her elegant clothes add to the sense of luxury. She wears a sheer lace top over a slip, a white collar (to bring light to the face, according to style books of the time), and a pearl necklace. What a shame that her shoes are not visible.
And the radio is so user friendly, she doesn’t even have to look at the dials!
my dad used tell me of the radio in his house – they had someone come to install and tune it and no-one could touch the dial after that until one day a visiting relation called, walked over and twisted the dials slightly..and hey presto! they had been months listening to hissy voices up until then (so great admiration for the tuning gran above!)