Victrola Museum in Dover, DE

Okay, last post  about my vacation.

We visited a really interesting museum that I learned about on Atlas Obscura.

The Victrola Museum in Dover, DE sounds wouldn't jump out to most people as a must-see attraction. But it was so worth our time spent there.

Most people are at least somewhat familiar with RCA Victrola because it has a pretty cute icon at the helm:

Nipper the dog, listening to a Victrola, proved to have the lasting power, and is the official logo of the company. I knew the logo, but I never realized how much merchandising this pup inspired:

It's funny to note that although this dog's image is seen so frequently, more than 100 years after the logo immortalized him, that there is actually only one photograph of him in existence.

I think we often don't appreciate the artistic effort put into some of our household items and appliances. Many of the Victrolas at the museum have the same basic appearance, but the top floor housed some horns that were beautifully painted:

The staff there is extremely knowledgeable about the collection, music, and local history. I ended up having a wonderful conversation with one of the guides about classic films.

I asked which machine is the oldest, still working one, and the guide was happy to put a record on for me. I also learned where two common expressions come from:

"Put a sock in it"= the earliest Victrolas had no volume control. If the listener desired a softer volume,  she could put a balled up sock in the horn.

"Put a lid on it"= Later models of the machines had a hinged top on the wooden base, which could be open for louder volume or closed for softer volume.

The museum is FREE, which is always a plus, but anyone who appreciates music should find something to catch her interest there.