Radio Days

The ultimate reference book for collectors and lovers of Australian bakelite radios. For the first time, a complete photographic history of the best of Australian bakelite radios from the 1930s, 40s and 50s, highlighting their Art Deco designs and extraordinary array of colours.

The variety and aesthetic harmony of the bakelite radios featured in Radio Days is a window on the commercial and cultural changes in Australia over the 1930s, 40s and 50s. These include the exponential adoption of radio into the community as the radio in each household went from being a novelty to a necessity. As well, better technology and methods of mass production lead to a change from the use of organics (e.g. wood) to the use of synthetic plastics (e.g. bakelite), which heralded a transition from the artisan to the assembly line with new and evolved domestic products in the modern machine-age Art Deco style.

The modern table-top bakelite radio reflected the rise of modern consumerism with advertising and marketing targeting all members of the family but particularly the lady of the house. Radio Days adds a new chapter to the history of Australian industrial design and also highlights the development of Art Deco styling in Australia.