Eighty-five years ago, this young woman was hospitalized. But she was in good spirits, thanks to the radio in her room. Despite her condition, she was able to listen to her favorite programs.

The notable thing about this photo is not the radio you can see, but what you can’t see. There is a wire headed toward the pillow, and under that pillow is a Hushatone crystal loudspeaker from the Brush Development Company of Cleveland, Ohio. It allowed her to listen without disturbing other patients. Wiring the speaker to the set was easy. It required tapping in on the primary side of the output transformer, and putting a switch in the radio to switch between the built-in speaker and the Hushatone. Volume could be controlled with the customary volume control on the set, or simply by shifting the position of your head in relation to the speaker.

While it is not visible in the picture, you can see what the Hushtone looked like at RadioMuseum.org.  The photo above appeared in the April-May 1938 issue of National Radio News.