Back in the day they were called bulb horns and were the standard horn on pre-war cars. Somewhere along the line they began to be called squeeze horns. This begs the question… Who was the first clown to use a squeeze horn (was it Harpo?) because nowadays they’re also referred to as clown horns.Bonham’s auction house! Beautiful ‘bulb horns’ from the early 1900s.
A brass bodied double-twist bulb horn. https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26120/lot/49/ A brass three-trumpet “Le Testophone” bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26120/lot/47/ A veteran eight-trumpet bulb horn, French, circa 1910 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26641/lot/17/ A ‘Le Testaphone’ six trumpet bulb horn by Cicca, French, patented 1908 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25446/lot/96/ A four trumpet bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25446/lot/98/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25446/lot/98/ A coiled body horn by Rubres, French https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24733/lot/235/
A fine eight-trumpet “Le Testophone” bulb horn by Cicca, French, circa 1909 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24879/lot/105/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24879/lot/105/ A fine brass four-trumpet “Le Testophone” bulb horn, French, circa 1909 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24879/lot/106/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24879/lot/106/ A wide trumpet running board mounted horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24733/lot/237/ A replica Boa Constrictor snake’s head horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24733/lot/241/ A coiled body horn by Nonpariel, French https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24733/lot/244/ A rare combination horn and siren by Stenor Sirene, Paris https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24733/lot/247/ Hand-crank Klaxon, want one! An Edwardian hand-cranked klaxon trumpet horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24123/lot/102/ A rare ‘Central Python’ brass bulb horn, French https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24123/lot/104/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24123/lot/104/ A Lucas No 38 King of the Road bulb horn with mirror https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24123/lot/105/ Cicca Horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24308/lot/179/ A rare Lucas ‘King of the Road’ No.40 single-twist bulb horn, circa 1903 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23597/lot/42/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23597/lot/45/ An ‘Etienne Le Testaphone’ four-trumpet bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23597/lot/45/ A Desmo double twist bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23597/lot/47/ A Boa Constrictor bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23597/lot/48/ Hand operated Klaxon https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23597/lot/50/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23871/lot/158/ A Le Testaphone seven trumpet bulb horn, French, circa 1910 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23871/lot/158/ A fine double turn brass bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23594/lot/131/ A Boa Constrictor bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/10579/lot/230/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/10579/lot/230/ A Lucas double-twist bulb-horn Japanned Black https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15345/lot/251/ A Rotax ‘Clarion’ double-twist bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/15345/lot/271/ An Autovox horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16247/lot/88/ A Le Serpentin bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16536/lot/172/ An Escargot type bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16536/lot/173/ A Perfecta double twist bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16536/lot/174/ A fine and rare miniature snake’s head bulb horn by C & C Paris, circa 1902 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/17658/lot/105/ A rare British Lion horn ‘trumpet’, British, circa 1905 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20146/lot/124/ Rare trompe automobile à seize tons, Française, circa 1910 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21768/lot/87/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21768/lot/87/ A veteran Autovox brass double-twist horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21735/lot/61/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22201/lot/615/ An ‘Schnecke’ type horn by Haeckel https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18218/lot/142/ A L’Autovox horn, French, patented 1908 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18218/lot/184/ A four-tone bulb horn by Sigval https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18218/lot/187/ A fine ‘Le Testaphone’ four trumpet bulb horn by Cicca, French, patented 1908-09 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18218/lot/194/ A L’Autovox horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19284/lot/84/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19284/lot/84/ A large double twist bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22201/lot/617/ A Goliath bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22201/lot/706/ An early four-note ‘Tenor’ 6 Volt electric brass trumpet horn, by Cicca, French https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21907/lot/7/ A dual, air and electric, brass, Klaxon horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22530/lot/88/ A double twist bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16536/lot/176/ A Goliath bulb horn https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22201/lot/706/ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22201/lot/706/ A brass three-trumpet “Le Testophone” bulb horn, French https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26120/lot/47/ A ‘Le Testaphone’ six trumpet bulb horn by Cicca, French, patented 1908 https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25446/lot/96/ A large Boa Constrictor trumpet horn, British https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23597/lot/44/
