When I think about listening to a concert or a theatrical performance at home, I automatically think about the radio, TV or streaming. But I was actually quite surprised to find out that some Victorians were already able to enjoy something similar.
In 1895, the London Electrophone Company began to offer a service that allowed people to listen to live entertainment without actually going to the performance.
Microphones were installed in theatres, music halls and other venues around London. The sound was carried along telephone lines to subscribers, who listened through special earpieces. Customers could contact an operator and ask to be connected to a particular performance, including opera at Covent Garden.
There were no recordings involved. Whatever the audience heard was happening live, somewhere else in the city.
Some subscribers even had special listening tables fitted with several sets of earpieces, that allowed families or friends to enjoy a performance together.
The service wasn't just in private homes either. Electrophones could also be found in clubs and public listening rooms, and there were also church services transmitted for those who wanted to listen.
Subscriptions were, as you would expect, expensive, particularly in the earlier years, and even when the annual price was later reduced to around £5, it remained far beyond the reach of many families.
By 1908, several hundred people were subscribing to the Electrophone. The service continued well into the 20th century, but when the radio became more common its popularity waned. The London service eventually closed in 1925.
Would you have enjoyed listening to a live performance from home, or would you rather have experienced the atmosphere of the theatre itself?
And there's another fascinating side to this invention, including a rather unusual connection to Queen Victoria and her birthday celebrations. I've explored that story in today's extended subscriber feature.
Image info:
The Electrophone listening salon in Garrard Street, London, c. 1901. From Living London, edited by George R. Sims, Vol. 3, p. 115. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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