Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CAMERAPHONE

Date Range From

1920

Date Range To

1930

Materials

STEEL, CHROME, WOOD, CELLULOID

No. Pieces

5

Height

16

Length

18

Width

12.4

Description

.1) CAMERAPHONE. RECTANGULAR WOODEN BOX WITH HINGED LID AND TORN LEATHER STRAP ON TOP OF LID. FRONT HAS TWO STEEL KNOBS AND STEEL CLASP OPENING. INSIDE HAS HOLLOWED ROUND GROOVE AND STEEL POST. .2) PLAYING ARM. 16.5CM X 8.5CM X 7.5CM CHROME PLATED TUBE WITH CIRCULAR FACE THAT READS "CAMERAPHONE WILL PLAY ANY RECORD" AND "MADE IN ENGLAND". TUBE HAS RIGHT ANGLE STEEL BRACKET AS WELL. .3) AMPLIFIER. 8CM (DIA) SPHERICAL CELLULOID BALL WITH YELLOW AND BROWN MARBLING AND PETAL SHAPED VENTS. AMPLIFIER IS WRAPPED IN WHITE COTTON TAPE. .4) CRANK. 11.5CM X 7.0CM X 2.0CM STEEL CRANK WITH BLACK WOOD HANDLE. .5) TURN TABLE. 14.1CM X 8.0CM X 0.8CM CIRCULAR STEEL COLLAR WITH THREE STEEL ARMS HINGED TO COLLAR.

Subjects

SOUND COMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

History

CAMERAPHONE IS AN EARLY PORTABLE FORM OF THE GRAMAPHONE AND IS CALLED A CAMERA-PHONE BECAUSE ITS SMALL, COMPACT RECTANGULAR SHAPE WAS SIMILAR TO A CAMERA. DONOR RELATES THAT HER FATHER PURCHASED THE CAMERAPHONE FROM AN ANTIQUE SHOP BEFORE HER FAMILY WAS MOVED TO SLOCAN CITY. USED BY HER & HER BROTHER, TIM, AS CHILDREN. MENTIONED IN "OBASAN". THE NAKAYAMA FAMILY WAS ORIGINALLY FROM VANCOUVER BUT MOVED TO COALDALE FOLLOWING THE SECOND WORLD WAR WHEN THEY WERE INTERNED AT SLOCAN CITY IN THE INTERIOR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT. THE DONOR'S FATHER, REV. CANON G.G. NAKAYAMA, WAS AN ANGLICAN MINISTER IN VANCOUVER, AND THEN ESTABLISHED THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION IN COALDALE IN 1945 WHERE HE SERVED UNTIL 1970. SEE RECORD P19970041001 FOR EXPANDED BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND PERMANENT FILE FOR FURTHER HISTORY. THE FOLLOWING MEMORIES WERE PROVIDED BY REVEREND TIM NAKAYAMA IN A LETTER TO THE GALT ON 16 AUGUST, 2007. HE WROTE: “IT COULD PLAY THE 75 RPM BAKELITE RECORDS. A CACTUS NEEDLE WOULD BE ATTACHED TO THE RECEIVER HEAD (A RELATIVELY SOFT TIP WHICH WOULD NOT WEAR OUT THE GROOVES AS QUICKLY AS METAL NEEDLES MIGHT.) THE PORTABLE INSTRUMENT HAD THREE PIECES OF SHINY METAL HINGED TOGETHER AT THE CENTRE MADE A BASE THAT FITTED ON THE SPINDLE ON WHICH THE RECORD WOULD REST. THE THREE PIECES WOULD FOLD TOGETHER AND FIT IN THE BOX WHEN IT WAS CLOSED. THE SPRING WORKS THAT RAN THE TURNTABLE WAS WOUND UP WITH A HANDLE THAT ALSO FIT IN THE BOX WHEN IT WAS CLOSED. IN VANCOUVER WE HAD RECORDS OF JAPANESE KOTO MUSIC, EUROPEAN CLASSICAL MUSIC, SINGING BY TENORS, VIOLIN SOLOS. I REMEMBER SONGS LIKE “SILVER THREADS AMONG THE GOLD”, “HUMORESQUE”, “LONDONDERRY AIR”. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SEVERAL LABEL BRANDS. I RECALL ONE NAME: “POLYDOR”, FROM JAPAN. THERE WERE RECORDS OF MUSIC OF JAPANESE STRING INSTRUMENTS: KOTO, SHAMISEN. EUROPEAN RECORDS OF VIOLIN SOLOS, AND SINGING OF TENORS.”

Catalogue Number

P19970041912

Acquisition Date

1997-01

Collection

Museum

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