Snapshots of the Past

[Thomas Edison, seated beside phonograph] – Historic Print

[Thomas Edison, seated beside phonograph], c1921 March 19. — historic photograph
[Thomas Edison, seated beside phonograph], c1921 March 19.. Historic photograph 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

This rare historic photograph captures [Thomas Edison, seated beside phonograph] in remarkable detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

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[Thomas Edison, seated beside phonograph]

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Thomas Edison sits beside one of his phonographs, the machine he unveiled in 1877 to record and replay sound. The picture dates to about March 1921, when Edison was in his mid-seventies and still running his laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey. It was registered for copyright under the initials T.A.E., suggesting Edison's office closely managed how his image was shared. The date comes from an old caption card and is not fully verified, but the pairing of inventor and instrument captures why the phonograph became central to his public reputation.

Created / publishedc1921 March 19.
Medium1 photographic print.
NotesJ24652 U.S. Copyright Office. Photo copyrighted by T.A.E. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Shelf; PI; Phonographs.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,138 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-118678

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