147/1996

Collection

Domestic Appliances

Brief description

'Videosphere' orange ABS plastic spherical television and base, manufactured by JVC in Japan, c.1970.

Title

Videosphere
Model 3240SW

Object name

television

Object number

147/1996

Production organisation

JVC (manufacturer)

Production date

c.1966 (manufactured)

Production place

Japan (manufactured)

Period

Twentieth century (1900-1999)

Material

ABS plastic
metal

Physical description

Television of spherical form in orange ABS (Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic shell with metal linked carrying chain and telescopic aerial (finial missing) and black transparent plastic screen cover. The square base is also made from orange ABS (Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic.

Dimensions

Diameter: 28cm
Depth: 18.3cm
Height: 5.2cm
Width: 18.3cm

Website keywords

broadcast and pre-recorded entertainment

Label

Label text for the exhibition At Home with the World, Geffrye Museum (20 March 2012- 9 September 2012):

‘Videosphere’ television
Manufactured by JVC, Japan
Designed in about 1966
ABS plastic case and base

The spherical shape of this television may make you think of a space helmet. During the 1960s the world was fascinated by space travel. From Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first journey into outer space in 1961, to America’s first manned moon landings in 1969, this was the decade which voyaged far beyond the known world. This TV, made by Japanese electronics giant JVC, would have been a fashionable item in 1966.