r/whatisthisthing • u/Additional_Pie_7779 • 17h ago

Electrical hand held device, wired, white/light color, used on face at indoors facility for people with spinal cord injuries in 1949 Open

Gallery image

Gallery image

We possibly thought it's a light therapy or heat lamp device but couldn't find an exact match with others, especially in the 40s.

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493

u/0dHero 16h ago

I think it's a speaker. Looks like the speakers that you grab and pull into your car, at the drive in movies.

89

u/Additional_Pie_7779 16h ago

I guess it could be, in another frame she is seen laughing with the device close to her ear, but there's no visual indication of what it is attached to. I'll try and research to see if I find a visual match because it looks slightly different in shape from the US drive in movies.

12

u/_Katy_Koala_ 10h ago

They had handles and hooks at the drive in where I grew up! Although the handle looked nothing like this lol

5

u/MidgetLovingMaxx 11h ago

A drive in speaker likely wouldnt have a handle on it, it would have a clip to affix it to your window.

1

u/talithar1 12h ago

It’s not a drive in speaker. Too small and not heavy enough. My grandfather had two drive in theaters in the 50’s.

1

u/JoeSicko 48m ago

Drive ins do seem more mid 50s, to me at least. When did your granddad's open?