Ear trumpet, c. 1930, Iluka Museum, Iluka, NSW, Australia.
Old-Fashioned Hearing Aids
A musical instrument? Some sort of animal horn?
Not quite! You might be surprised to learn that this is actually a historical hearing aid.
Known as an ‘ear trumpet,’ these devices were used to help people hear better. By holding the narrow end close to the ear, the wider end would collect and funnel sound waves, making speech and other noises clearer for those hard of hearing.
The earliest ear trumpets were made from hollowed-out animal horns, like those from cows or rams. By the 1700s, the wealthier folks could afford wood or even silver trumpets, but by the 1800s, sturdy yet affordable sheet metal became the popular choice, and these devices were manufactured for well over a century.
This particular ear trumpet belonged to Charlie (Karl) Frederick Busk (1861–1944). Karl was born in Finland but, in his twenties, he ventured across the world to Adelaide, Australia, where he met and married Ida Christina Anderson. They had seven children and eventually relocated to the coastal town of Iluka, on Yaegl Country in northern New South Wales.
Around 1900, Karl worked on the Clarence River breakwater walls—a physically demanding job. The constant clanging of tools against stone made it incredibly noisy as well. Since hearing protection wasn’t widely used until World War I in 1914, it’s no surprise that his hearing may have been impacted to the point he needed this very ear trumpet.
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Object
ear trumpet
Date
c. 1930
Maker
unknown
Description
ear trumpet made out of cheap sheet metal
Material
- Non-precious Metal
Story Themes
- Health
- People
- Work
Keywords
- Adelaide
- Charlie 'Karl' Frederick Busk
- Clarence River
- Finland
- Ida Christina Anderson
- Iluka
- ear trumpet
- hearing aid
Please note: Regional exhibitions often change, so it is possible the object/s in this story may not be on display. Please call the museum, gallery or cultural centre where the object is held if you would like to check.
Sources
Object File, ‘Ear Trumpet: catalogue number 0212, Janet Hauser, 25.3.2020’, Iluka Museum. (accessed 23 October 2024)
Iluka Museum
Iluka Museum is located in the town of Iluka, on Yaegl Country, in the North Coast region of New South Wales.
Iluka Museum is a volunteer not-for-profit historical organisation which promotes an understanding and appreciation of the unique history of the Iluka area. The group collects, preserves, interprets, and exhibits that story through a range of displays from the early River Training Scheme and old Iluka Railway, to the old Iluka Picture Show, rowing, boating and fishing of the past.
2 Charles Street, Iluka NSW 2466
View stories from this collection
Emily May
Emily May is an emerging museum professional with experience in research, writing, registration, and conservation.
Her passion stems from a love of history, and a drive to prove to people that ‘history’ is not the boring high school subject memorising dates and statistics, but rather a realm of rich and exciting stories. She likes to challenge macro views of histories which focus on wars and grand-scale ideas, in favour of the ordinary, the everyday people who go about their daily lives. It is here, that we find extraordinary stories of connection, beauty, loss and love; and a more dimensioned view on the past.
Emily has diverse qualifications, including a Bachelor of Arts Honours in history, Master of Museum and Heritage Studies, Graduate Certificate in Arts (Cultural Materials Conservation) and a Graduate Diploma in Information Management.
She has worked with the Performing Arts Collection at the Arts Centre Melbourne, the Sydney Holocaust Museum, the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, and Scroll, a publication by conservators at the University of Melbourne.
Emily is pursuing work in museum registration and digital preservation, where she finds fulfilling purpose in preserving these extraordinary stories about ordinary lives for future generations.
View other stories by this author
Copyright & Permissions
Emily May for Iluka Museum, ‘Hearing History: Old-Fashioned Hearing Aids’, story date: 13 March 2025, https://storyplace.org.au/story/hearing-history/, accessed on: 15 March 2025
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
Digital image courtesy of Iluka Museum, 2024
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