model DAC 90; English 1946 des. F. Middleditch man. Bush Radio

Mains-powered radio receiver in rectangular compression moulded brown marbled Bakelite (phenol-formaldehyde). The case is smoothly-rounded at the edges. There are two horizon control knobs below at the front. On the PL side of the set there is knob for tuning. The circular speaker panel is covered by a decorative woven wire mesh. A glass tuning scale is inset at a low angle at the intersection of the top and front planes of the case, the glass is printed in green and yellow and shows long and medium wavebands.

Purchased by the V&A Circulation Department in 1976 from Gustav Metzger. On entry to the Museum it was noted that the case had some slight scratches [RF 76/444].

The first successful radio transmission was made by David Edward Hughes (1831-1900) in 1879. Some years later, in 1896, Gugliemo Marconi (1874-1937) patented a system of electromagnetic radio wave communication which, unlike the already-established telegraph system, was ‘wireless’, meaning signals could be heard by anyone with a radio receiver in range of the broadcast. Marconi established the world’s first radio factory in Chelmsford in 1898, where sets were hand-built to high specifications for mostly scientific, governmental and military customers. Another early customer was Queen Victoria who in 1898 had a set installed at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, so she could communicate with the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, as he convalesced aboard his yacht at Cowes.

Military applications meant that radio technology advanced rapidly during the First World War, and in the 1920s regular civilian broadcasting began, changing the domestic experience forever. The previously diverse parts of the radio; the valves, controls, wires and speakers, began in the mid-1920s to be enclosed inside a single cabinet. In this early period, radios were seen essentially as furniture and some companies employed cabinet-makers and well-known furniture designers. As radios were new to the domestic interior, their design had no precedent, which allowed manufacturers to design them creatively. This struck a chord in the late-1920s and 1930s with the expanding synthetic plastics industry; oil-based plastics were also a recent innovation, the first, Bakelite (phenol-formaldehyde), having been successfully synthesised in 1907. The collaboration between industrial designers and manufacturers gave rise to many very modern radio designs, particularly in America. Tastes in Britain remained, in general, more conservative, favouring wooden cabinets or Bakelite cabinets imitating wood. During the Second World War, the manufacture of civilian radios essentially ceased in the United Kingdom, with the exception of the ‘Utility’ radio (see V&A CIRC.678-1975), produced under government directive by 42 companies.

A black example of this model was shown at the V&A's 1946 exhibition, 'Britain Can Make it', organised by the Council of Industrial Design. This exhibition was a precursor to the 1951 Festival of Britain in that it showcased contemporary British design. The exhibition ran for only three months but was visited by over 1.4 million people. The intention of the show was to demonstrate the transition from wartime to peacetime industrial production. The DAC90 became very popular in Britain, and was succeeded in 1950 by an updated model, the DAC90A, which was available in a greater range of colours. A brand new set cost about £15 5s.

A black version of this radio was shown at the V&A's 1946 exhibition, 'Britain Can Make it', organised by the Council of Industrial Design. This exhibition was a precursor to the 1951 Festival of Britain, in that it showcased contemporary British design. The exhibition ran for only three months, but was visited by over 1.4 million people. Its intention was to demonstrate the transition from wartime to peacetime industrial production. The DAC90 became very popular in Britain and was succeeded in 1950 by an updated model, the DAC90A, which was available in a greater range of colours. A brand new set cost about £15.

CIRC.288-1976