Edison's Parlor Phonograph

Summary

Edison Parlor Phonograph of 1879, number 1586. This is a smaller size machine of the tinfoil type, developed to reach a broader audience. Gift of Alexander Graham Bell, who had purchased it and used it for experiments for some years before he donated it to the Smithsonian in 1898. Bell was a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents.

Subject

• Edison, Thomas A. (Thomas Alva) 1847-1931
• Bell, Alexander Graham 1847-1922

Notes

Phonograph was previously identified as the Edison Foil Phonograph of 1878 but was corrected by staff of the Thomas Edison Papers in 2014. For additional information, see http://edison.rutgers.edu/tinfoilphono.htm.

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 95, Box 41, Folder 1

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, [email protected]

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Date

1879

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

• Exhibitions
• Phonograph
• Tinfoil Phonograph

Form/Genre

• Photographic print
• Object

ID Number

91-3690

Physical description

Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Object; Medium: Photographic print

Full Record

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