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Edison's phonographic doll--the built-in phonograph [1894] / Poyet. – Historic Reproduction

Edison's phonographic doll--the built-in phonograph [1894] / Poyet., London : John Murray, [1972] — historic print
Edison's phonographic doll--the built-in phonograph [1894] / Poyet., London : John Murray, [1972]. Historic print from the Work & Industry collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Few images capture their era like this historic print of Edison's phonographic doll--the built-in phonograph [1894] / Poyet.. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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Edison's phonographic doll--the built-in phonograph [1894] / Poyet.

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Few inventions of the 1890s sound as strange as a doll that talks, and this illustration shows Edison's phonographic doll, with a phonograph built into its body. Edison's company tried to sell dolls like this in the early 1890s, fitting a small cylinder player inside the figure so it could repeat short recorded phrases. The mechanism was delicate and the sound was faint, and the toy never became a lasting success. The picture comes from Leonard de Vries's 1972 book *Victorian Inventions*, where it appears on page 183 as a photomechanical reproduction.

Created / publishedLondon : John Murray, [1972]
Medium1 photomechanical print.
GenreBook illustrations 1970-1980.Photomechanical prints 1970-1980.
NotesIllus. in: Victorian inventions / Leonard de Vries. Page 183.
SubjectsPhonographs--1890-1900. Dolls--1890-1900.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,096 × 3,280 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-183775

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