The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

GMEMG wrote:The Image of the "Zonophone Grand Opera no 5" belongs to me - Shane uses it with Permission - i do like the Watermark !

However i doubt it will stop the Copyright Thieves of the CLPGS who used the above image of Ernest Pike - suitably Photoshopped ! in the latest issue of their sad mag

THEY did NOT have permission and i have started legal proceedings

A warning to all !

I always give permission if asked - is only simple courtesy after all

1)They likely have their own copy of the cover.
2)Don't actively try to stop reuse. It only gets worse.
3)Calm down.

gramophoneshane wrote:

Wolfe wrote: the 1939 Rodgers and Hart set is actually described is having the first pictorial cover, one that used an actual photograph.

I cant help but wonder if this is even true.
The Gramophone Co were using photographs on record sleeves at least as early as 1911, as seen below on this Zonophone "Grand Opera" series sleeve. There may well be some early record albums floating around which received a similar treatment?

You can go back to ca. 1903 for the pictorial sleeves they produced on Tamagno, N. Melba and A. Patti.

I don't have any real idea about the albums.

I enjoy academic exercises of this sort, but I must admit that it's probably of little interest to most collectors. Still, for whatever it's worth...

First U.S. Disc Record Catalog: This would be the November 1, 1894 "List of Plates in Stock." This is illustrated on page 16 of the Collector's Guide to Victor Records by Michael W. Sherman.

First Album Cover With a Photograph: I'd nominate the Gramophone Co. Tamagno discs of 1903, whose envelopes included a glassine window through which Tamagno's half-tone photo was revealed when the disc was removed.

First Record Catalog: In Patrick Feaster's American Exhibition Recordings and the Dawn of the Recording Industry, he referenced a letter from Thomas Lombard to the Edison Phonograph Works on December 12, 1889 in which Lombard wrote,

"We have repeatedly been requested to furnish to the sub-companies a catalogue of musical phonograms so that they could order such as they wanted from it. We were informed a short time ago that such a one was in preparation by you, we would like to have it expedited as much as possible, and as soon as we get a copy we will have some printed and forward to the companies."

Feaster noted that, "North American's first printed catalog went out soon after, listing brass band, parlor orchestra, cornet, clarionet, flute, piccolo, violin, and piano 'duett' records, with the titles numbered from one up in each category." Clearly, this first North American catalog was available by 1890. Below is a scan of another North American catalog probably dating from later 1890.

George P.

phonogfp wrote:I enjoy academic exercises of this sort, but I must admit that it's probably of little interest to most collectors. Still, for whatever it's worth...

That's great! Thanks for playing anyhow.

I don't know about others, but I find that compiling what is probably a more definitive list of some firsts in this field to be quite interesting and edifying.

Here's another album with a graphic ...no photograph, though. It's the Canadian Berliner " Songs for Little People" from November 1923. It's a real album,not just a sleeve.

Jim

phonogfp wrote: First Record Catalog: In Patrick Feaster's American Exhibition Recordings and the Dawn of the Recording Industry, he referenced a letter from Thomas Lombard to the Edison Phonograph Works on December 12, 1889 [...]

Feaster noted that, "North American's first printed catalog went out soon after, listing brass band, parlor orchestra, cornet, clarionet, flute, piccolo, violin, and piano 'duett' records, with the titles numbered from one up in each category." Clearly, this first North American catalog was available by 1890.
George P.

Patrick is quite correct. I can narrow down the date of availabilty of the first record catalogue to mid-January 1890. I cite from a circular sent out by the North American Phonograph Company on 17 January 1890:
"The attention of phonograph companies is called to the catalogue of musical phonograms issued by this company a few days since, and the suggestion is made that they use them for distribution to the public ..."

The first catalogue listed the above bands and instrumentalists and, last but not least, "vocal and quartet" records!

To reply to "New Owner"

1 They Don't !
2 as i say i don't actively try to stop re - use BUT I won't have anyone abuse My Copyright, i share almost everything i would think of interest and have doneso since the 1st UK Board but i won't help the CLPGS in any way since being Defrauded by their treasurer.
3 I am perfectly calm that's why i always win Legal disputes !

[quote="Lenoirstreetguy"]Here's another album with a graphic ...no photograph, though. It's the Canadian Berliner " Songs for Little People" from November 1923. It's a real album,not just a sleeve.

Jim[/quote]


There were a lot of early children's picture sleeves. I'm wondering which was the first

The Columbia-Harper Bubble Books predated the HMV offering that I posted. Didn't they appear about 1917 with Little Wonder numbering> I'm talking off the top of my head here.
Jim

Another first: Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville patented the Phonautograph on March 25 (today), 1857.