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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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171 results for: Mass Media

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Image of Radio Announcing Carbon Microphone used by KOMO, 1927-1930

Radio Announcing Carbon Microphone used by KOMO, 1927-1930

KOMO radio was founded in 1926 by Birt F. Fisher and O.D. Fisher of Fisher Flouring Mills (no relation between these Fishers). It replaced Seattle radio station KTCL whose lease was expiring. The first broadcast was on December 31, 1926, and the next year the studio moved to downtown Seattle. Today, KOMO 1000 AM and 97.7 FM is primarily an…
ID Number:1954.745.1
Date:Circa 1927
Image of Condenser microphone from KOMO radio, 1927-1935

Condenser microphone from KOMO radio, 1927-1935

Seattle’s KOMO radio station first went on the air in 1926. It was initially owned by the Fisher family which owned Fisher Flour mills.
ID Number:1954.745.7
Date:1924-1935
Image of Western Electric 1-B Transmitter Microphone used by KOMO radio, 1927-30

Western Electric 1-B Transmitter Microphone used by KOMO radio, 1927-30

KOMO radio was founded in 1926 by Birt F. Fisher and O.D. Fisher of Fisher Flouring Mills (no relation between these Fishers). It replaced Seattle radio station KTCL whose lease was expiring. The first broadcast was on December 31, 1926, and the next year the studio moved to downtown Seattle. Today, KOMO 1000 AM and 97.7 FM is primarily an…
ID Number:1954.745.9
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Photographic print of portrait drawing of John Edward Chilberg by Frank Calvert, 1909

Photographic print of portrait drawing of John Edward Chilberg by Frank Calvert, 1909

Frank Calvert (1876-1920) was an illustrator for the Seattle Times, a painter, and a member of the Society of Beaux Arts, which was established "to develop art and its appreciation here in the Northwest." In 1908, he helped create and develop an art colony in the Bellevue area on the eastern shores of Lake Washington, and the City of Beaux…
ID Number:1954.751
Date:1909
Image of Portable Edison phonograph, ca. 1903

Portable Edison phonograph, ca. 1903

This portable phonograph was one of the first used to transmit music over radio in Seattle in June 1921 under the call letters 7AD, a Francis Brott-owned station. Brott was a prominent radio and television pioneer in Seattle, known both for his promotion of the phonograph and his role in the first TV telecast on June 3, 1929. Brott eventually…
ID Number:1955.984
Date:Circa 1903
Image of Transmitter and receiver from KZC radio station, ca. 1922

Transmitter and receiver from KZC radio station, ca. 1922

In April 1922, KZC was the third radio station to be licensed in Seattle, after stations KFC and KHQ. Station KHZ was located at 1429 1st Ave but was deleted in April 1923. Louis Wasmer built this receiving and transmitting apparatus, and he was the first operator of station KHQ which lasted until at least the 1960s.
ID Number:1960.1881
Date:Circa 1922
Image of Sound transmitting condenser designed by William Dubilier, ca. 1920

Sound transmitting condenser designed by William Dubilier, ca. 1920

William Dubilier of Seattle, who founded the Dubilier Condenser Company in 1920, made this early form of electronic sound transmitters. This is one of the original "bathtub" designs which established the standard for radio transmitting condensers for many years.
ID Number:1961.2198.5
Date:Circa 1920
Image of Trunk lined with newspapers from the Washington Territory, 1875-1876

Trunk lined with newspapers from the Washington Territory, 1875-1876

The interior of this trunk is covered with several 1875 and 1876 issues of the Daily Pacific Tribune, a newspaper produced in Olympia from 1869-1878. The Pacific Tribune originated from the Overland Press, founded in 1861, and it was the first daily newspaper for the Washington Territory.
ID Number:1966.4041.8
Date:Circa 1875
Image of Batik print jacket worn by John Doyle Bishop, 1967

Batik print jacket worn by John Doyle Bishop, 1967

John Doyle Bishop (1913-1980) operated a high-end women’s clothing store in Seattle from 1950 until his death in 1980. He sourced designer garments from the United States and Europe and provided personalized fashion advice for his devoted clients. He was also known for his personal style and cultivated a reputation as a local personality. Bishop wore this jacket for a…
ID Number:1975.6056.20C2130
Date:1967
Image of Newsboy's apron for the Seattle Star newspaper, ca. 1930s

Newsboy's apron for the Seattle Star newspaper, ca. 1930s

The Seattle Star newspaper was established in 1899 by E. W. Scripps and was known for being a “working man’s” paper. It was sold to Howard Parrish and other local Seattle businessmen in 1942 and eventually ceased publication in 1947. At the time it had the smallest circulation of the three daily newspapers, the others being the Seattle Times and…
ID Number:1976.6288
Date:Circa 1930
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