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Edison Phonograph Disc

Specifications

Edison Phonograph Disc

Category

Communication

Classification

CHENHALL - Tools & Equipment for Communication - Sound Communication T&E - Sound Communication Media - Record, Phonograph

Object Origin
Manufacturer:

Thomas A. Edison, Inc.

Date Manufactured:

1911 -1921

Physical Characteristics

Object Description: Flat circular black disc with a small hole in the center. Text is engraved on the center on both sides with a portrait of Edison in a shield shape next to a patent statement in a similar shield shape. The same numbers are stamped equally spaced into the rim four (4) times.

Marks: Front: "Around the / Map⁠—Fox-Trot / Intro.⁠—"Here Comes Tootsi"⁠— / "When the Right Girl Comes Along" / (Herman Finck) / JAUDAS' SOCIETY ORCHESTRA / (For Dancing) / EDISON / TRADE MARK / Thomas A Edison / 4491-C-65" Back: "Underneath / the Stars⁠—Fox-Trot / JAUDAS' SOCIETY ORCHESTRA / (For Dancing) / EDISON / TRADE MARK / Thomas A Edison / 4490-C-90" Patent statement: "This / patented Record is sold / by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. / Orange, N. J., subject / to restrictions printed / on container in / which it is put / out by this / Company" Rim: "50346"

Measurements: Object:
    Depth: 0.25 in, Diameter: 9.625 in
    Weight: 0.82 lbs

Credit

Gift of Vince Granatelli, 2018.1.105

Display Status

Not On View

Edison Phonograph Disc

About: Edison Phonograph Disc

About: Edison Phonograph Disc

This Edison Diamond disc features a musical track entitled "Around the Map—Fox-Trot" and "Underneath the Stars⁠—Fox-Trot". The recordings were performed by the Jaudas Society Orchestra, an in-house band used by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. to record dance music. The Foxtrot was a popular dance in America in the early twentieth century and was composed of long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. In addition to the Foxtrot, the Edison Diamond Disc catalogs offered a variety of material, including classical, country, and cultural music, as well as comedy monologues, poetry, and literature readings.


Between 1912 and 1929, Diamond Disc were manufactured by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. to be used with the Edison Disc Phonograph, or record player. Diamond Discs have a thickness of ¼ inch, a diameter of 10 inches, and weigh close to 1 pound. The name Diamond Disc originated from its association with the Edison Disc Phonograph, which featured a permanent conical stylus made of diamond. The stylus, or needle, is responsible for making contact with the disc and transmitting the vibrations produced by the record’s grooves. The diamond stylus made the phonograph unique, while other phonographs used steel styluses which required regular replacement, the Edison Disc Phonograph used a durable and long-lasting diamond stylus. However, this unique feature made Diamond Discs incompatible with phonographs that used steel styluses because a steel stylus had the potential to damage the Diamond Discs while providing low sound quality. Diamond Discs experienced commercial success during the mid-1910s and into the early 1920s.

Additional information

Copyright information

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