Webster Chicago Electronic Memory

Webster-Chicago’s Electronic Memory name belongs to a period when preserving sound was a visible mechanical activity. The product family is known for recording magnetically on wire rather than tape; the Smithsonian’s model 180-1, dated to around 1954, is one documented example of that tradition. Its carrying case, small reels and microphone evoke recording as a deliberate, prepared activity. In contrast to the invisibility of a modern audio file, memory here has a physical arrangement.