Wholesale Point Bleu Soprano tube radio, lacquered mahogany wooden cabinet, 1955–1960

There are objects that carry an entire era within them. The Point Bleu "Soprano" radio is one of them. Made by the Point Bleu brand of the Thomson group in the years 1955–1960, it embodies the golden age of French valve radios, when every household was organized around this sound cabinet placed in the living room, and people tuned in to Paris, London, Luxembourg or Monte-Carlo. The lacquered mahogany-brown wooden case is framed with a gilded trim that gives it the presence of a painting. The glossy black front houses two large gold-plated chrome knobs, a station dial engraved in white on a black background with perfect legibility, ivory preset buttons at the bottom of the front, and a cream speaker cloth with a gold braided pattern. The cursive "Point Bleu" signature is placed at the lower right. Reception: GO, PO, OC, FM, LW, MW, KW, UKW. Sold with its power plug. Not tested, offered as-is for decoration or to be restored by an electronics technician. Placed on a sideboard, a console or a shelf, this radio asserts its presence with the quiet nobility of objects from the Trente Glorieuses (the Thirty Glorious Years). It doesn't need to work to tell a story.