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This is advertised as a phonograph, but the pictures don't make sense. It looks like a french cylinder machine, but if it is, what is missing and how would it operate?

It's possible: the square hole on the carriage would have held an extension arm for the missing horn & reproducer. Then you'd need the upper pulley, belt, and winding key (or crank). I can't quite see where the feed screw & half nut are, though...

- Bill

It probably was something like the one below. It appears to be for the so-called "inter" or "salon" sized cylinders, which were of a diameter midway between the standard size and what we call "concert" size.

Like this

In the second photo, the presence of that little gear on the left suggests that the rear "support rod" obscures the feedscrew below that drives the reproducer assembly (once it's cleaned up and lubricated).

The wording in French for "Speed Indicator" also hints at marketing and use locally rather than for export. The mandrel is a special size (diameter) just under the more typical Pathé Salon/Inter. It was widely advertised in France. I don't think that this Phenix configuration was of the moulded variety so that may have hastened its demise.

Allen

It is the first version of Phenix. It only plays Phenix cylinders.
It is missing alot, including the crank, reproducer, horn rod and horn. The crank should be a keywind.
It was manufactured by Louis Lamaziere in approximately 1902.
You can find more complete versions on ebay France from time to time.

Thanks for the info and ID, guys... It puzzled me whether or not this was legit...

Any idea what a fair price might be - I have no idea?

It’s a Phenix floating horn machine and the horn support should be similar to the pic below (I don't know which machine is on the pic).

I found another pic, this time from a Phenix machine but without the horn.

A nice, complete Phenix 1 would be $750-1000.
Phenix 2, with the ability to play both standard and Phenix cylinders is rarer and could be $1500 to $2000.
Raphael Cole had one a few years back.