Wireless Private Telephone and Television: Postcard (ca. 1930)

Drahtloses Privattelefon und Fernseher ("Wireless Private Telephone and Television"). Postcard by Wagner & Company, ca. 1930.

John J. Pierce sent out to the ListServ of the Science Fiction Research Association the following notice, 21 Sept. 2015 : This was posted at Facebook by Dave Richoux, who offered the following commentary:

"Could almost be an image from anywhere in the world today - two people at a table, not paying attention to each other, looking at their phone things!

This image comes from a set of collectible cards issued by the margarine factory Wagner & Co. in the northern German town of Elmshorn, circa 1930. The album is arranged in 36 series of 6 cards each; two of them (12-13) are titled “Zukunftsfantasien” [Fantasies about the Future]. The author of the cards is unknown.

The caption under the image reads: „Drahtloses Privattelefon und Fernseher. Jeder hat nun sein eigenes Sende- und Empfangsgerät und kann sich auf einer bestimmten Welle mit Bekannten und Verwandten unterhalten. Aber auch die Fernseh-Technik hat sich so vervollkommnet, daß man dem Freunde gleichzeitig ins Angesicht schauen kann. Sende- und Empfangsgerät sind nicht mehr an den Ort gebunden, sondern werden in einem Kasten von der Größe eines Photoapparates immer mitgeführt.“

Translation: " Wireless private telephone and TV. Now everyone has his own send-and receiver and can rely on a certain wave with well-known and relatives. But also the television technology has become so sophisticated, that the friends at the same time, look into the face. Send-and receiver are no longer bound to the place, but are in a box the size of a photo apparatus always."

As of 21 Sept. 2015, on line here For other graphics of interest: Retro-Futurisms, Sammelalben (Scrapbooks) here. 

Cf. and contrast high-tech communication and its limitations in E. M. Foster's "The Machine Stops" (1909).