United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
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Speaker Bankhead Looks Over New Loud Speaker System in House Chamber

Speaker Bankhead Looks Over New Loud Speaker System in House Chamber/tiles/collection/1/16348.xml
Speaker Bankhead Looks Over New Loud Speaker System in House Chamber/tiles/collection/1/16349.xml
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Date

1938-12-27

Maker

Acme Newspictures, Inc.

Dimensions

6 1/2 × 8 1/2 in. (16.5 × 21.6 cm)

Accession Number

PA2011.08.0064h

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

Just days before the 76th Congress convened, Speaker William Bankhead gave a last look at the new Chamber loudspeakers before workers hoisted them up to the ceiling. Acoustics in the room were legendarily awful, but the House had resisted a permanent amplification system until this moment in late 1938. When Members arrived the following month, they dubbed the giant box looming over them the “flying coffin.”

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Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov