Drapier French "Opera" Celluloid Ear Trumpet (Ear Horn)
The Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet was manufactured by the Drapier
company in Paris, France somewhere around 1880, It was a single-section
celluloid ear trumpet made to look like tortoiseshell.
This lightweight ear trumpet weighed only 2.2 oz. (64 g). It measured
11¾" (30.1 cm) long and was 2 1/16" (5.3 cm) wide at the bell end.
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Side view of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet.
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View of the front section of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet
showing some of the design of this ear trumpet.
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View looking into the bell of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet.
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Front view of the bell of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet showing
the beautiful design when the light passes through the faux
tortoiseshell. The cut-away front gives the bell a bit of a
"scoop" shape so you could aim the trumpet somewhat down and yet
effectively gather the sound.
The hole at the top is for threading a ribbon or lanyard through it
so you could hang this ear trumpet around your neck when you were not
actively using it.
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Rear view of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet showing its flattened back side. The name and manufacturer is
stamped near the bell.
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Close-up of the backside of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet
showing the name at the bell end. It reads, "DRAPIER" then "17 AV DE
L'OPERA - PARIS" and below that, the word "DEPOSE", the French term for
"trademarked" or "copyrighted".
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The curved ear tip of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet was made to
swivel so it could be used with either ear. Two brass tubes fitted into
the plastic formed the swivel.
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Close-up of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet showing the ear
tip turned to the right for use in the left ear.
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Close-up of the Drapier French "Opera" ear trumpet showing the ear
tip turned to the left for use in the right ear.
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Close-up view of the white plastic ear tip of the Drapier French "Opera"
ear trumpet.
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Close-up view looking into the sound bore at the end of the ear-piece.
This small hole for the sound is one of the smallest sound holes used in
ear trumpets.
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