His Master's Voice Imperial Radiogram

This radiogram from the early 1970s was donated to the NFSA in 1994 by a Canberra homeowner.

It is an interesting artefact in its own right – particularly for how its combination of radio and record player forecasts the integrated devices we use now.

Together with the vinyl records that were played on it, this mass-produced, everyday object contributes to telling the history of Australian music and the evolution of the recording and playback technology that allowed us to enjoy it.

The teak veneer radiogram has black legs and a gold rack underneath the radiogram cabinet. The unit contains an AM radio receiver and a four-speed automatic record player, which allowed you to suspend records and drop each down automatically as the last finished, without having to get up and change it.

The HMV logo is positioned on the radiogram and each speaker.