Snapshots of the Past

Hotel Vanderbilt installs radio phone receiving set. Mr. E.C. Pickward and partner enjoying a wireless fox trot in the Della Robbia Room of the Vanderbilt – Historic Print

Hotel Vanderbilt installs radio phone receiving set. Mr. E.C. Pickward and partner enjoying a wireless fox trot in the Della Robbia Room of the Vanderbilt, 1922 Feb. 28. — historic photograph
Hotel Vanderbilt installs radio phone receiving set. Mr. E.C. Pickward and partner enjoying a wireless fox trot in the Della Robbia Room of the Vanderbilt, 1922 Feb. 28.. Historic photograph from the Taverns & Saloons collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Step back in time with Hotel Vanderbilt installs radio phone receiving set. Mr. E.C. Pickward and partner enjoying a wireless fox trot in the Della Robbia Room of the Vanderbilt, a historic photograph rich in period detail. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

Hotel Vanderbilt installs radio phone receiving set. Mr. E.C. Pickward and partner enjoying a wireless fox trot in the Della Robbia Room of the Vanderbilt

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

At the Hotel Vanderbilt in New York City, a man identified as Mr. E.C. Pickward and his partner dance a fox trot to music from a radio receiving set, which the hotel had just installed in its Della Robbia Room. The caption dates the scene to February 28, 1922, when broadcast radio was still new and most people heard it through headphones or a single speaker. Hotels were eager to show off the technology, and a live dance floor with wireless music made a striking novelty for guests. The caption card's details are unverified, so the names and exact setting should be read as the archive recorded them.

Created / published1922 Feb. 28.
Medium1 photographic print.
SubjectsThis record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Radio; Dance--Ballroom; BI; NY--NYC; VANDERBILT H.; Shelf.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,217 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-140753

More from the Taverns & Saloons collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

Hotel Vanderbilt installs radiophone set - here's the new operatorHotel Vanderbilt installs radiophone set - here's the new operatorHotel Champlain [in the Adirondack Mountains, N.Y.]. Dining RoomHotel Champlain [in the Adirondack Mountains, N.Y.]. Dining RoomHotel Traymore, Atlantic CityHotel Traymore, Atlantic CityHotel Commodore, Pershing Square, 42nd St. and Lexington Ave., New York City.Hotel Commodore, Pershing Square, 42nd St. and Lexington Ave., New York City.[Hotel Lafayette, Cape May, New Jersey][Hotel Lafayette, Cape May, New Jersey]Hotel Belmont and 42nd St., looking westHotel Belmont and 42nd St., looking west