When was the first Zonophone actually made?

[phonogfp]

I can share that pin The Phonoscope, Zonophone dealers were being sought in April of 1899, and the first appearance of a Zonophone machine ad was in November of 1899.

I must point out the problem of citing masthead dates of The Phonoscope as production benchmarks. As shown in the attached article, The Phonoscope itself published announcements that its masthead dates and its publishing dates were off by sometimes several months. The "November 1899" Phonoscope ad cited above was published after February 14, 1900.

I've heard this before and do agree that it is a factually correct statement. However, no one was asserting the production date of the machine , only citing when the first ads appeared in the Phonoscope.

The original question was "When was the first Zonophone actually made?" By stating that "the first appearance of a Zonophone machine ad was in November of 1899," a false impression can be inferred since the ad wasn't published until after February 14, 1900. Citing the November 1899 issue of The Phonoscope would have been accurate (although potentially confusing), but stating that the first Zonophone machine ad "was in November 1899" is not historically factual.

I hope I'm not being pedantic on this topic, but those Phonoscope masthead dates misled so many of us over the years (including Yours Truly), that I'm just trying to set the record straight.

George P.

[AllenKoe]

I must point out the problem of citing masthead dates of The Phonoscope as production benchmarks. As shown in the attached article, The Phonoscope itself published announcements that its masthead dates and its publishing dates were off by sometimes several months.

It is hard to say if any issue of the Phonoscope was EVER on time, i.e. printed in the calendar month that appeared on its masthead. If memory serves (always a little risky) the last (ever) Phonoscope issue had a masthead date of June 1900 and had inside references to October 1900 (as current time)!

When I was researching Thomas Lambert and his new celluloid cylinders in the Phonoscope (for the Sep 2021 AP), it was a headache and a half. I especially wanted to verify when Lambert (arriving in NYC in 1900 from the mid-West) could have met George Lando of the Lower East Side (StdPhonoCo.) and arranged for those rare unbreakable Hebrew/Yiddish cylinders (all/pink & all/black) to be issued in 2 lots. And of course, there were some newspapers that still used "Devillo Bennett" to refer to Lambert.

Finding out what happened to Lambert's foster-mother Rebecca (his birth mother Sarah died of TB when he was a teenager), was a surprise and quite tragic. Luckily, in the upcoming (March 2022) issue of AP, I was able to squeeze in the sad details, at the end of my next article, on Berliner.

Anyway, as to when a real (Valiquet-style) Zonophone appeared in a real shop, and a real customer could buy it immediately, that calendar question was answered (correctly) for the first time in the June 2015 issue of AP (pdf on request for subscribers). The very first ad, showing the actual bevel-glass-sided Zonophone, appeared in St Louis on May 13, 1900, & with an embarrassing typo. Another early ad (from Bergstrom Music, iirc) actually showed the first image of the 'mysterious' Type C, ribbed-cabinet style. The fig-leaf for Prescott and Seaman back then was that these new machines were being prepared "for export only."

But that was not so -- they were indeed being sold and distributed in the US as well. These details had previously led many sources to think that such Zonophones appeared first in 1899 (when re-named Gramophones abounded). The best date (now) to use is Seaman's actual Memo to Dealers of May 10, 1900 as the date of when they physically existed for sale (his own brother supplied them in one case). There is no earlier illustrated ad before that time (well, maybe 2 days before), but not in the 'Spring' of 1900. (unless by 'Spring,' one means May, that is).

Many of these details can be verified by using various Newspaper databases (free and fee).

Hope this helps a little.

Best
Allen

[vic-b]

I also have an early A. My brass horn and elbow is of the slip on type, no knurled thumb screw. I also have the more centered placement of the travel arm support. What I DO NOT have, and have never actually seen in person is the travel arm that is elliptical and solid, and not pressed metal with the hollow underside.

I am told that technically that is what my machine should have?

Best,
Jeff
Wisconsin

[gramophone78]

I also have an early A. My brass horn and elbow is of the slip on type, no knurled thumb screw. I also have the more centered placement of the travel arm support. What I DO NOT have, and have never actually seen in person is the travel arm that is elliptical and solid, and not pressed metal with the hollow underside.

I am told that technically that is what my machine should have?

Best,
Jeff
Wisconsin

The elliptical arm you mention is actually hollow and is two piece bi-metal (steel tubing and cast brass head for the yolk) constructed. It is believed to be the first type of production arm. Again, possibly as a cost saving measure, an arm like yours was introduced within a short time.
Your Type A appears to have a serial number in the 4000+ range. So, the elliptical arm may have been replaced with the simpler style arm by this period ?....hard to say without more machines examined. My Type C has no serial number to use as a reference.

[Phonotom]

Does anyone on the forum have the Zonophone E in their collection. If so, I would like to see one. Thanks, Tom

[gramophone78]

Does anyone on the forum have the Zonophone E in their collection. If so, I would like to see one. Thanks, Tom

You may want to check this older thread posted on our forum.
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=44228