Guglielmo Marconi is called the first Marquis of Marconi.  As far as we can tell, there were no other Marquises of Marconi, so we’re calling this Siren the second.

Marconi was the son of Italian nobility and many people consider him the inventor of the radio.  His wife was the granddaughter of John Jameson, the well-known whiskey guy. Marconi founded the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company in London in 1897, and American Marconi in 1899 to use his radio patents in the US and Cuba.  Marconi’s radio was on board the Titanic when the ship sank, which allowed many passengers to be rescued by a nearby ship.

During WWI, the US government took over American Marconi and most of the rest of the radio industry to use for the war effort.  At the end of WWI, the US Navy didn’t want to give any assets back to American Marconi, as they didn’t want British influence in the US radio industry.  Through some convoluted dealings, General Electric purchased American Marconi in 1919 and created a new company, Radio Corporation of America, from its assets.

The Radiola UZ-1325 loudspeaker utilized a horn manufactured by the Miller Rubber Company (as did all of the upright horns manufactured by RCA).  This radio horn speaker is 22.75” tall with a 12’ bell. We have reattached the original plate to the base. It has a salvaged walnut base finished with Betty’s Board Butter (beeswax & mineral oil). You may wish to re-oil your base occasionally.