The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I was browsing newspapers.com when I found a 1900 ad for the “Vitaphone” by the American Talking Machine company that said it played paper records. Where these records like the Marconi records and later Hit Of The Week records? Does anyone have any of these discs? Or even the machines that played them? When I search for Vitaphone I get results for other Vitaphone of the 1920s and 1930s. Is there an article about them in a certain magazine I need to get the $32 and get subscribing?

AmberolaAndy wrote:I was browsing newspapers.com when I found a 1900 ad for the “Vitaphone” by the American Talking Machine company that said it played paper records. Where these records like the Marconi records and later Hit Of The Week records? Does anyone have any of these discs? Or even the machines that played them?

The "paper" Vitaphone discs are much like Berliners of the period (and sometimes pirated from them), but brick red in color. I suspect the "paper" was used as a binder instead of the cotton flock used by Duranoid and later, Victor. In any event, the red Vitaphones seem a bit grainier by comparison. They are not flexible and bear no resemblance to Marconi records, Hit Of The Week, or Durium records.

I have a few red Vitaphones and can provide pictures if you need them. Meantime, here are a couple of scans from The Talking Machine Compendium by Fabrizio & Paul, which contains over 525 color photos and about 70 pages of text - plus captions - which would give you knowledge of the talking machine industry from 1877-1929. (Click on images to make them clearer.)

George P.

phonogfp wrote:

AmberolaAndy wrote:I was browsing newspapers.com when I found a 1900 ad for the “Vitaphone” by the American Talking Machine company that said it played paper records. Where these records like the Marconi records and later Hit Of The Week records? Does anyone have any of these discs? Or even the machines that played them?

The "paper" Vitaphone discs are much like Berliners of the period (and sometimes pirated from them), but brick red in color. I suspect the "paper" was used as a binder instead of the cotton flock used by Duranoid and later, Victor. In any event, the red Vitaphones seem a bit grainier by comparison. They are not flexible and bear no resemblance to Marconi records, Hit Of The Week, or Durium records.

I have a few red Vitaphones and can provide pictures if you need them. Meantime, here are a couple of scans from The Talking Machine Compendium by Fabrizio & Paul, which contains over 525 color photos and about 70 pages of text - plus captions - which would give you knowledge of the talking machine industry from 1877-1929. (Click on images to make them clearer.)

George P.

vita001.jpg

vita002.jpg

gramophone-georg wrote:

phonogfp wrote:

AmberolaAndy wrote:I was browsing newspapers.com when I found a 1900 ad for the “Vitaphone” by the American Talking Machine company that said it played paper records. Where these records like the Marconi records and later Hit Of The Week records? Does anyone have any of these discs? Or even the machines that played them?

The "paper" Vitaphone discs are much like Berliners of the period (and sometimes pirated from them), but brick red in color. I suspect the "paper" was used as a binder instead of the cotton flock used by Duranoid and later, Victor. In any event, the red Vitaphones seem a bit grainier by comparison. They are not flexible and bear no resemblance to Marconi records, Hit Of The Week, or Durium records.

I have a few red Vitaphones and can provide pictures if you need them. Meantime, here are a couple of scans from The Talking Machine Compendium by Fabrizio & Paul, which contains over 525 color photos and about 70 pages of text - plus captions - which would give you knowledge of the talking machine industry from 1877-1929. (Click on images to make them clearer.)

George P.

vita001.jpg

vita002.jpg

I don't get it. Who's in the picture?

George P.

It's Vince!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPKtBM99kAc

Just messing with you.

gramophone-georg wrote:It's Vince!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPKtBM99kAc

Just messing with you.

I thought it was John Galt for a second...j/k

Who IS John Galt, anyway?

Let’s remember the “no politics” bit, please.

Mlund2020 wrote:Here is my Vitaphone with 4 of the brick red American Talking Machine records. As George pointed out - many were pirated from Berliner records. They are not paper records. It is interesting that they advertised them as such, but I guess it is possible that it was used as a binder in the material matrix.

The records look very similar to the English Nicole records, which have a thick paper core and a playing surface which looks like some early kind of plastic, and the same color as these.