This is the Sparton 4940TV "Mirror IN Lid" TV set. This is the 10 inch version produced in 1949.

Back in the day when TV sets had picture tubes with very long necks, there was objection to the fact that those long picture tubes caused the TV set to stick out far from the wall. In an attempt to reduce the front to back depth required of the cabinet, when the picture tube was mounted in the normal horizontal postition for direct viewing; a few manufacturers resorted to installing the picture tube vertically. The picture was seen in a glass mirror in the lid of the tv set. This allowed the tv cabinet to have a very small front to back depth.

Because the picture was actuall seen by looking at the mirror in the lid, and because when you look at any image in a mirror, the images is reversed, it was necessary to make the picture appear reversed on the actual picture tube. By doing this, when you look in the mirror, the reversed image on the tube is reversed by the mirror and is seen correctly by the viewer.