Travler 55C42 - Mid-Fifties Crossroads Design
1955 Travler Model 55C42
At the Intersection of Post War Industrial and Atomic Age
Travler Karenola Radio and Television of Chicago released this clock radio in 1954 to 1955. It was their higher end model featuring Telechron clock movement. It was available in red maroon, green, brown, and ivory color plastic. The off center clock placement, large side tuning knob, and arc bottom edge made this design unique.
The Travler 55C42 embodies transitional design characteristics. This was a time before Sputnik and the modern age.
Above: 1955 Travler Model 55C42
The appearance has a post war feeling about it. The colors are muted. The sizes and shapes are stacked or side by side. No blended contours. There’s no continuous flowing curvy lines that appear to wrap the whole piece together.
Travler 55C42 grows on you
I have come to see and appreciate what makes 55C42 beautiful and unique.
Front profile:
The radio front side angle inward from top and bottom. The Admiral Model 251 is similar. Coincidentally, this Admiral is also from 1954 to 1955. There must have been something in the mid-fifties that triggered this ephemeral sensation for the inward scoop front profile.
Huge side tuning knob
Another radio with a large tuning knob is the RCA Victor 6-X-8B Wilshire with its palm sized tuning knob sitting on top.
Stacked squares on squares:
Most notable is the clock placement which seems arbitrarily off center. Most likely, the clock was placed directly right of the speaker and that dimension needed to be maintained.
Everything gets its own square. Clock is square. Logo gets its own raised square. Controls panel volume knob, clock, and logo, all contained within a square. The grill: made up of multitude of little squares.
Another design which relishes the square is RCA's "Glendon." See how many squares!
The bowed bottom edge seems to put the whole radio on a pedestal. Very unique to the Travler 55C42. I don't think I've seen it on any other radio design from the 50s.
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Overall, the Travler 55C42 is an obscure model from an obscure manufacturer. Unusual design features not seen in other radio designs make this model rare and unique. It serves as an interesting case study for understanding radio designs of the era.