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Phonograph

The term ""phonograph"" was the name used by Thomas Alva Edison for the recording device he patented in 1877, which consisted of a cylinder covered with aluminum foil (and later with wax - the ""phonogram""), the surface of which would be indented with the recording. This example is a Gem model, which was the smallest and least expensive machine offered by Edison and, unlike other models, was housed in an all-metal case. It has a plain cone-shaped bell and encasing wooden lid and base.

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  • Inscriptions:Branded decal on the wooden lid: EDISON, GEM, PHONOGRAPH|Painted in gold colour on the body: TRADE / Thomas A. Edison / MARK and GEM
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:523 Record/playback devices
  • Repository:Colchester and Ipswich Museums