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November 1937. "Radio microphone used in information work. United States Department of Agriculture." The subject here seems to be soil conservation. Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
I'm a radio guy and love this photo!
Many years ago I played the radio announcer in The Man Who Came to Dinner, and we mocked up a prop mic out of a lap lens ring, some black lace, and a few wires and a coat hanger. This is what it was supposed to look like!
Wonder what they meant by soil washing, all the present day references I can find are in regards to soil pollutant removal.
["Soil washing" is erosion. - Dave]
That appears to be a Western Electric 600A carbon microphone.
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/western_el_carbon_microphone_600a.html
The names on the script appear to be "SALISBURY" and "EISENHOWER." The former is no doubt Morse Salisbury, radio chief of the Department of Agriculture. But Eisenhower? It's worth remembering that the future president's younger brother Milton served as Director of Information for the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1928 to 1941. Thereafter, he was president of KSU, then PSU, and (much later) Johns Hopkins.
[He's mentioned by name in the script: "How about it, Milton?" - Dave]
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