The New Bedford Port Society is home to many unique artifacts that help tell the story of life at sea and ashore. This Victor Talking Machine, model VV-80, was one of roughly 185,000 produced between 1921 and 1925 alongside its companion model, the VE-80. As the lowest-priced floor model available at the time, it brought recorded music into more homes and became especially recognizable through the famous “His Master’s Voice” trademark. At the New Bedford Port Society, a place built for connection, reflection, and community, pieces like this help us imagine the quieter moments in a sailor’s life ashore. After long voyages, spaces like the New Bedford Port Society offered comfort, familiarity, and a chance to gather, much like families once did around machines like this.
Originally priced at $100, this model would equal more than $1,400 today. Today, it stands not just as a piece of technology, but as a reminder of the human need for connection, whether at sea or on land.
