Jensen Radio Manufacturing Company Type D44 speaker, ca. 1927

Though this appears to be a radio, the handsome wooden case contains a only a Jensen Type D44 speaker, meant to be attached to a radio set. It was made by Jensen Radio Manufacturing Company at 212 9th Street, Oakland, California, licensed under Magnavox. Peter L. Jensen, formerly an assistant of Valdemar Poulsen, had come to California from Denmark in 1909 at Cyril Elwell's invitation to work at his Poulsen Wireless Telephone and Telegraph (later, Federal Telegraph Company). Jensen and colleague Edward Pridham left Federal to work on their own on loudspeaker technology. They invented the moving coil loudspeaker in 1915, and founded Magnavox in 1917. Jensen later formed Jensen Radio Manufacturing Company, which produced speakers for radio, military, and musical instruments.