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A sampling of Red Lion Cabinet Company radio and TV cabinets

By 1928, just a few years after the development of radio cabinets, they were already pieces of furniture, like this Atwater Kent model.
By 1928, just a few years after the development of radio cabinets, they were already pieces of furniture, like this Atwater Kent model.

As a follow up to my recent post and York Sunday News article on the Red Lion Cabinet Company, here are photos of some of the millions of wooden radio and television cabinets turned out by the company from the 1920s through the 1950s. Lighting and angles are not ideal in the photos, but you can see enough to perhaps bring back childhood memories. You can see these cabinets and much more at the Red Lion Area Historical Society Center Square Museum on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. I’ll follow up with some of their many wartime products in a later post.

Red Lion Cabinet Company also created sturdy and attractive wooden cases to ship the cabinets, such as the one in the top photo.
Red Lion Cabinet Company also created sturdy and attractive wooden cases to ship the cabinets, such as the one in the top photo.

The next two photos show some of the early “portable” radios.

I didn't quite catch it in the photo, but this table model Philco has a handle on the top, making it portable.
I didn’t quite catch it in the photo, but this table model Philco has a handle on the top, making it portable.

This 1940s Philco looks a little more portable.  It is still wood, but has grained leather trim and a leather strap handle.
This 1940s Philco looks a little more portable. It is still wood, but has grained leather trim and a leather strap handle.

The two photos below, from the 1930s and 1950s, show how home entertainment. as well as style changed in less than 20 years.

1936 Philco 650X console radio
1936 Philco 650X console radio
1954 Philco 4110 console television.
1954 Philco 4110 console television.

Old radios and televisions seem to be hot topics on the internet. Here is a link to the 1936 Philco. It also shows the open back, giving you an idea of how much room it took for the tubes and other parts.

This link will take you to more on the company’s World War II production.