Sharp 3S - Gizmo

In the early 1970s, Japanese consumer electronics companies weren't just building televisions - they were designing objects for living in the future. The Sharp 3S-111R is pure Space Age optimism in plastic and chrome.

Made in Osaka around 1972, this five-inch black and white portable looked like nothing that had come before. A compact cube in vivid orange (or white, depending on variant), it sat on a swivel base that doubled as its power supply. A chrome bar pressed to release a pop-out handle, letting you carry your television from room to room - or run it on batteries for true portability. The screen housing lifted cleanly from its pedestal, all smooth curves and confident futurism.

The 3S-111R belongs to a brief, brilliant moment when designers imagined consumer electronics as sculpture. It shares DNA with the Weltron 2001, the JVC Videosphere, and the Brionvega Algol - objects that treated technology as something to celebrate, not hide. Half a century later, these Space Age designs remain striking while countless beige boxes have been forgotten. Original units now sell for hundreds at auction, cherished by collectors who recognise something special in that bold orange glow.

From the Gizmo collection - a series of prints adapted from Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.

Produced as an open-edition print on 250gsm archival matte paper, with crisp detail and rich colour faithful to the original illustration.

Gizmo Series

Gizmo gathers illustrations adapted from and inspired by founder Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.

The series is a visual archaeology of consumer electronics - the machines that shaped how we listened, watched, played, and worked from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Synthesizers that invented entire genres. Cameras that democratised photography. Computers that launched industries from bedroom desks. Boomboxes that soundtracked city blocks. Each one arrived as the future and departed as nostalgia, often within a single decade.

Every illustration begins with extensive photographic research - sourcing original imagery of each machine in its best light - and builds toward a clean, considered portrait that honours the object's design intent. The aim is not retro sentimentality but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.

Printed with the same archival care as our other series, Gizmo turns industrial design history into crisp, enduring graphic art.

Printing & Materials

Our Gizmo series is produced in collaboration with specialist fine-art printing partners using museum-grade 250 gsm archival giclée paper.

Each print is made to order with exceptional precision and colour accuracy, using pigment-based inks for long-term stability and rich tonal depth.

Prints are carefully rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in rigid cardboard tubes to ensure they arrive in perfect condition, ready for framing.

All materials and processes are chosen for their longevity, texture, and fidelity to the original artwork, reflecting our commitment to quality and craft.