Ear horns and ear trumpets from the 1880s to the late 1930s pre-date the first hearing aids. They come in various shapes and sizes, some basic and some more advanced. The 1880 brass device shown was quite sophisticated and was capable of magnifying sound. It was purchased from the Red Cross. The ear trumpet with rubber tube is from the 1920s – 1930s. It was donated by Colchester Museum.
What were they used for?
In the old days before the use of hearing aids people with hearing loss, especially when related to age, struggled to hear so all sort of devices were devised and invented.
Before the 1940s ear trumpets were tubular or funnel-shaped devices which helped to collect sound waves and lead them into the ear. They were used as hearing aids, thus improving hearing for a deaf or hardof- hearing individual. The brass one shown is of simple design – a horn with an earpiece which could be fitted neatly in the ear. The ear trumpet with rubber tube was more sophisticated with an earpiece at one end and a microphone at the another end. The user would ask the speakers to hold the microphone near mouths while they talked. This helped to amplify sounds, enabling the user to hear only the speaker, cutting out the background noise and other speakers.
Several well-known people such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, Ludwig van Beethoven and King John VI of Portugal used ear trumpets. One of the well-known models of the 18thc. included the Townsend Trumpet (made by the deaf educator Dr. John Townsend).