Theatrophone

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Earliest example of live transmission, for a fee, where the consumer could listen to opera or a recital through the telephone receiver. Known as the father of the modern poster, Ju les Chéret (1836 – 1932) was a French painter and lithographer. He worked on everything from theater to advertising. The theatrophone was a distant ancestor of the jukebox. An early telephonic device, it was originally used to "broadcast" music from the Paris Opera. Anyone who inserted a coin could listen to the music through earphones. Although the beautiful subject is a picture-perfect Cherette, she is uncharacteristically wearing black gloves, which Cheret probably provided so that he could more precisely render the use of the actual machine. The gentleman in the background is suggestively waiting, either for the woman — or to use the phone. Show more