Edison Talking Machine

• 1877 Edison invented the first device to

ever record and playback sound.
• It used Tin Foil wrapped around a rotating
drum.

• Edison’s “talking machine” was a public

sensation. He was called “Wizard of Menlo
Park”.
• Edison tested the machine by speaking the
nursery rhyme into the mouthpiece. “Mary
had a little lamb.” To his amazement, the
machine played his words back to him.

Click Picture to Play

 Edison Speaking
Phonograph Company
• Established January 24, 1878
• Edison received $10,000 for the
manufacturing and sales rights + 20% of the
profits.
• As a novelty, the machine was an instant
success, but was difficult to operate except
by experts, and the tin foil would last for
only a few playings.
• Edison offered the following as possibilities
of use:
– Letter writing and all kinds of dictation
– Phonographic books
– Teaching of Elocution
– Reproduction of Music
– Family Record i.e.. Registry etc.
– Music Boxes and Toys
– Clocks
– Preservation of Languages
– Educational Purposes
– Telephone recording
 Toys
• Edison's Phonograph Doll is a children's toy doll developed by the Edison
Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company (founded by William W. Jacques and
Lowell Briggs in 1887) introduced in 1890. The original doll was invented
by Thomas Edison in 1877. The 22-inch doll featured a miniature
removable phonograph that played a single nursery rhyme. Although it had
spent several years in experimentation and development, the Edison Talking
Doll was a sales failure, and was only marketed for a few short weeks in early

1890. A handle had to be cranked each time for it to play. Also, the ring-shaped
wax records wore out quickly, and were prone to cracking and warping.
Additionally, many children (and some adults) reportedly found the dolls and
recordings frightening.

Example of an Edison
Phonograph doll, 1890.
The phonograph
mechanism housed in the
body has been removed
and is displayed
alongside.
• Sales of Edison’s Tinfoil Phonograph were
poor – its recordings fragile and short-lived.
• Nearly 10 years later…Edison introduces
The Edison Home Phonograph.
 Competition
• In the 10 year period vacated by Edison,
others moved forward to improve the
phonograph.
• Alexander Graham Bell used his winnings
for his invention of the telephone to set up a
laboratory and made improvements by
using wax instead of tin foil and a floating
stylus instead of a rigid needle.
• Bell’s machine was exhibited to the public
as the Graphophone.
• Bell went to Edison with ideas of
collaboration, but Edison said NO and
resumed work on the Phonograph.
• Edison introduced the Improved
Phonograph in May 1888 shortly followed
by the Perfected Phonograph.
 North American
Phonograph Company
• Formed July 1888 by Jesse Lippincott
• Sole licensee of American Graphophone
Company and purchased the Edison
Phonograph Company from Edison.
• His emphasis was business use and leasing.
• In 1890, Lippincott fell ill and lost control
of the North American Phonograph
Company to Edison who was the principal
creditor.
 Bankruptcy & New Company
• In 1894 Edison declared bankruptcy for the
North American Phonograph Company.
• This enabled him to buy back the rights to
his invention.
• In 1896 he formed the National Phonograph
Company.
• The emphasis changed from business to
home entertainment.
• Within 3 years, branches of the company
were located in Europe.
• Announced the Spring Motor Phonograph
in 1896 followed by the Edison Home
Phonograph.
• In 1898, the Edison Standard Phonograph
was manufactured and was the first to carry
the Edison trademark design.
 Edison New Standard Phonograph

• Advertised in Harper’s Magazine

September 1898.
• The Edison Concert Phonograph, which had
louder sound an an larger cylinder was
introduced in 1899.
• It did not sell well and production ceased in
1912.
• A new Business Phonograph was
introduced in 1905.
• Even though improvements were made,
they were still too costly and not as popular
as Columbia’s Dictaphones.
• At this point the Edison Business
Phonograph became a dictating system.
• 3 Machines were used:
– The Executive Dictating Machine
– The Secretarial Machine for Transcribing
– The Shaving Machine used to recycle cylinders.
• This system can be seen in the Edison
advertising film, The Stenographer’s
Friend, filmed in 1910.
• An improved machine the Ediphone was
introduced in 1916.
• 1919 Public Address to the Troops
 Earliest Wax Cylinders (1887-1894)
• Edison pioneered tinfoil recordings then left
to work on light bulb
• Bell tinkers with Edison’s design
• Wax new medium of choice with a cutting
stylus that would etch a groove
• Late 1890’s brown wax cylinders emerged
 Brown Wax Cylinders (1895 – 1901)

• Brown wax cylinders 1st recordings

produced for widespread commercial sale.
 Concert Cylinders
• Larger Diameter Brown Wax delivered
louder recordings suitable for public
performance
Gold-Moulded Cylinders (1902 – 1912)

• Brown Wax used repetitive performances

for multiple copies
• In 1902, Gold-Moulded process changed
this significantly reducing limitations.
 Edison Amberol Cylinders (1908 – 1912)
• Introduced in 1908 boasting double the number of
grooves on same size cylinder as predecessors
allowing for 4 minute playing time as opposed to
the 2 minute versions.
• In 1912 both 2-minute and 4-minute were retired
making way for the final significant recording
medium of the cylinder era.
 Edison Blue Amberol Cylinders (1912 – 1929)

• Shift to new medium of celluloid-based

indestructible cylinders.
• However, shrinkage and deformation over
time has rendered them difficult to play.
• Emerging dominance of disc format began
the demise of cylinders.