Four men in a camp scene with a large phonograph w/ horn in front (looks like a Triumph-type machine). This one is an RPPC. I believe this photo to be from Pennsylvania, c. 1910.

Man playing a cylinder w/large outside horn. Machine is an Edison Standard and the horn is a quite large one that required a floor crane.

Cafe scene with a phonograph (looks like a VV X upright) with tube-style radio on top.

Picture of William Black Manufacturer of Australia. Shortly after I purchased this, a friend in Australia told me that the name "Gladiola Co" was a very appropriate name as gladiola flowers are very common and popular 'down under'. He thought that the telephone exchange may be from the Sydney area.

My interest in phonographs, and history in general, comes naturally. As a small boy I would sit at the feet of my great grandmother Masteller as she would tell stories of her family moving by wagon from Minnesota to mid North Dakota while it was still known as "Dakota Territory". Her stories were the likes of which little boys simply adore... and I can remember her voice to this day. She was also very interested in genealogy as was my grandmother. When they died, the mantle of family historian/gatekeeper was passed to me.

My family lived in Bismarck, North Dakota, a few blocks from the State Historical Museum. In those days museums were not organized or displayed. Things were simply piled in rooms and there was a narrow pathway to walk from room to room. The boys from the area would go there every day during the summer until the workers kicked us out. My childhood dream was to one day own my own museum.

Our phonograph collection started innocently enough. My wife and I would take the kids to auctions year round. It was cheap entertainment and we had fun just spending time together. It's more fun when you go to an auction looking for something special. We eventually purchased our first phonograph in the early 90s. The phonograph was a Home Model D with cygnet horn. I can still remember the kids (Ethan and Katee) dancing in a circle to "Tip Top Tipperary Mary" and "The Four Jacks March". In 1998 I purchased our first phonograph-related photo. It was a rather plain cabinet card photo (the kind with the cardboard backing) of a young man with a cylinder phonograph and suitcase of records. There was something about that photo that captured my imagination. What was the young man thinking? Why did he have his photo taken with the phonograph? Soon we were actively looking for similar pictures. Today our collection includes over 200 photos. We buy only those photos that are appealing to us. In most cases the photos have children in them. Children and phonographs are meant to be together. Although phonographs come and go from our collection every few years, we have never sold a phonograph-related photo.

My interest in photos and genealogy convinced me early on that the photos were meant to be shared. In the late 1800s-early 1900s, pictures were taken and mailed to distant relatives to show off a new child or scenes of an important family event (i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, etc). Pictures were often the only way a distant relative could "see" others. It was expensive to travel... and pictures were inexpensive and all the rage. Often itinerant photographers would travel from community to community taking photos and then offering Real Photo post cards (RPPC for short) for sale.

Each time I see a photo, I remember our kids... and the joy they had discovering the wonderful world of phonograph and ephemera collecting. It’s been said that a picture says a thousand words. I would add that pictures have a voice every bit as loud and precious as His Master’s.

Baby in a fancy-backed chair. There is a Columbia phonograph in the back.

Young boy looking over the back of a bench. This photo was purchased from a seller in Germany. It is a neat little photo and the look on the boy’s face is just so typical of a boy in his early years. He is the center of the world and everyone should acknowledge it. Now, none of us were ever like that when we were kids. Right?

Cute as a button girl on old-time, Victorian style rocking horse with a fancy Columbia rear-mount machine in the background.

Old couple with a Columbia rear-mount phonograph in the background. This photo was purchased from a friend. The couple lived in the Bemidji, Minnesota, area which is a nice woody area very popular during the summer for fishing.

I welcome any questions or constructive comments and would be delighted to share some of my images with others for personal use. Please feel free to contact me by clicking on this Link or visit my web site Phonomantiques. Thank you for the opportunity to share these photos.

Mike, with his player during his January, 2009, presentation. (photo courtesy Arthur Zimmerman)

[Editor’s note: The January 11, 2009, presentation to CAPS featured 'interesting and unusual machines' from the collections of our members. This article is the first of three intended to feature the machines presented at that time.]

The 1960s was a time of miniaturization and portability in the electronics field. Battery-operated transistor radios were very popular, so it made sense in 1967 that Philco-Ford should have introduced a new record format for the hip teenager. The slightly shy of 4" diameter records were made of very flexible pure vinyl (the same material as used on Evatone Sound sheets that were often given away free in magazines for promotional advertising). The discs rotated at 45 rpm, and had a "hit" recording on each side. A sealed colour picture sleeve (6 1/4" X 5" wide) was included with each record, which retailed initially for 69 cents (in a later effort to stimulate sales, the price was dropped to 39 cents).

Mike’s Philco-Ford 'Hip Pocket' player. (photo courtesy Betty Pratt)

The records are the actual hit recordings of the day, in monaural. They were sold in Ford car dealerships as well as in five-and-dime stores. Arrangements were made with some mainstream labels, such as Atlantic, Mercury, Roulette, Bang and Atco, to license the recordings. A total of 41 discs was issued, along with 12 children’s records. Some of the artists included: Tommy James, Otis Redding, Neil Diamond, Sonny and Cher, The Doors, The McCoys, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Wilson Pickett, The Isley Bros, and Van Morrison. Typically, the records were back-to-back hits which, it was hoped, would be seen as good value for 69 cents (which was at the time, approximately the cost of a conventional 7" single).

Hip Pocket records were promoted with portability in mind. They would easily fit in your pocket and could be taken to a beach or party. The sleeve, however, contained a warning that they were designed to 'only be played on manual phonographs' (which usually meant portables). Since the majority of record players by this time were automatic changers, the grooves of Hip Pockets were too close to the spindle in order to be played in their entirety. It appears that this was one of their main downfalls, which resulted in their short two-year life span on the market (this coupled with the fact that portable 8-track and cassette players were starting to make their appearances).

In addition to displaying some of these unique records, I brought to our meeting a record player that was designed by Philco-Ford specifically for this format. The unit measures 7" x 4 1/4", and plays only 45 rpm discs. While designed with Hip Pockets in mind, it will also play a conventional 7" single. The only control is both an on/off switch and volume control. The unit is operated by 4 "C" batteries, and has a 2 1/4" speaker. The tone arm, with crystal cartridge, is 4 1/2" in length. It is certainly an unusual sight to see a phonograph and miniature record that will fit in the palm of your hand! The combination is certainly the world’s smallest working record player, and is always a conversation piece, even to those who do not share our hobby.

(photo courtesy Norman Bruderhofer)

While attending the Mechanical Music Extravaganza phonograph show in Wayne, New Jersey, I met Norman Bruderhofer, who had come from Germany to show a cylinder he had just manufactured. I had the chance to hear the cylinder, a remarkably loud and clear reproduction of an extremely rare Enrico Caruso cylinder, and purchased one on the spot for $90 US.

Below is some of the historical information on this cylinder, which I got from Norman’s website, www.berlinphonographworks.com

In 1903, Enrico Caruso recorded a small set of commercial recordings on phonograph cylinders, for the Anglo-Italian Commerce Company in Milan, Italy. This was just before he signed an exclusive contract with the Victor Company. These recordings were the only cylinder recordings ever issued in his lifetime. In that very same year, the French Pathé Company took over the AICC and thus obtained Caruso’s cylinder masters which were subsequently released on both of Pathé’s cylinder formats (standard and intermediate) and on vertical-cut discs. Three titles are known to have been issued.

Because of the decision by Pathé to discontinue manufacturing cylinders in 1906, all of the Enrico Caruso cylinder records were available for only about three years and today represent some of the very rarest and most sought-after cylinders ever made. The fragile wax composition makes it even more difficult to find any of these cylinders in playable condition.

Currently being reproduced is the aria "E lucevan le stelle" (and the stars were shining) from Puccini’s "Tosca", in which Caruso perfectly demonstrates his unique vocal abilities.

Francis Barraud’s painting, "His Master’s Voice", has fascinated millions of people since it first appeared as a trademark on a Canadian-produced record over one hundred years ago.

Many words have been written about this picture but as far as I know, no one has written a poem about it, an oversight that I have attempted to correct.

First of all, a bit of background concerning the picture itself.

It is quite possible that Barraud’s painting has religious connotations. Darwin had recently (1859) shaken the Christian community with his book, "On the Origin of Species", and Victorians began to express their doubts about immortality through literature, songs and paintings, and Barraud’s "Victorian" painting may be depicting such a doubt.

It is possible that Nipper and the gramophone are perched atop the coffin of Nipper’s master. The twist of Nipper’s head could be an indication of wonderment at hearing Master’s voice. After all, Master is dead.

Nipper, a very Victorian dog, could obviously think like a human. In the painting, he may be musing on immortality - "I hear his voice, is that all that is left?" In my poem, I have chosen, as a Victorian might, to have Nipper as the speaker, and although there is a current of doubt, Nipper’s hope is for heaven where loved ones are united. In other words, Nipper is creating a heaven for himself and for his Master, not from evidence but from necessity. Now, that’s dogma!