Edna Purviance's bio

June 6, 2018 - Re-editing Edna Purviance's family biography 2nd Draft. Photo: Leading Ladies © used by ednapurviance.org

Friday, February 29, 2008

How Edna listened to music when traveling?

On February 5th, I asked, “How did Edna listen to music when she traveled?”

Edna listened to music on a Grippa Perophone. The Perophone was a portable record player that Edna would enjoy on trains, ships, or in a hotel room. Made in Britain, the player came in different models. Most models, pictured on the Web, show a 'stripped down' model consisting of a wooden box, with a leather handle.

Edna's was a deluxe model, with leather-covered wood, a floral cloth-covered interior, and a special key lock. All the pieces folded down inside. It needed no electricity or batteries. Operation was a simple wind-up process.

Exactly how old Edna's unit was, I don't know. The production dates for these units vary widely, with numerous models made from the 1920s through the 1930s. Edna's player was a higher-end model with a leather case, but I haven't seen any like Edna's pictured on the Web.

Here is link to the basic wood box model from the Powerhouse Musuem: LINK

Also, here is a video from the YouTube site of one of the basic wooden box models of the Grippa Perophone. LINK

In the 1920s and 1930s, people were THRILLED to have such a device, as we are enamored with iPods today. I may have a photo of Edna's Grippa Perophone in the future biography about Edna and her family.

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