Tag Archives: antique

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Freddie Mercury’s Peacock Wurlitzer Juke Box

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1941 wurlitzer juke box photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

An absolute  highlight of my recent London vacation was a visit to Sotheby’s for a tour of Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own, featuring the entire contents the late icon’s estate, Garden House. Virtually everything Freddie ever owned will be sold off in 6 separate auctions starting September 6th. Presented here is Freddie’s antique jukebox, a 1941 Wurlitzer model 850 Peacock design. Designed by Paul Fuller (1897–1951), this multi-colored illuminated Wurlitzer delighted Freddie with its depictions of two peacocks at the front.

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Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Chinese-Inspired Fretwork Candlestands

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pair of fretted candle stands 2 photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Chinese fretwork first appeared in Britain in the early eighteenth century on garden fences, but it was not until midcentury that the vogue for fretwork on furniture erupted. Continue reading Eye On Design: Chinese-Inspired Fretwork Candlestands →

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Edison Multiphone, Coin Operated Phonograph

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Edison Multiphone
All Photos By Gail

The first pre-selective jukebox was the Multiphone, invented by John C. Dunton in 1905. Standing 7 feet high, it comprised a lyre-shaped, glass-fronted wooden cabinet containing an Edison spring-motor phonograph and a hand-cranked rotary-selector mechanism that gave the listener a choice of twenty-four cylinder recordings. Continue reading Eye On Design: Edison Multiphone, Coin Operated Phonograph →