Phonautograph — Earliest Known Recording Device
$7,500.00
Ships Worldwide.
Invented in 1853, almost 25 years before Edison patented his Tinfoil Phonograph, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville’s Phonautograph was the first device capable of recording sound onto a medium that could be preserved — in this case lamp black.
The Phonautograph’s stylus was coupled to a diaphragm at the far end of a sound chamber, and as words were spoken into the other end, the stylus would vibrate sympathetically with the diaphragm and trace a graphic record of the sound onto a sheet of carbon-blackened paper that had been wrapped around a revolving mandrel.
To our knowledge, there are no known original examples of Scott’s invention, but several expertly rendered replicas have been created over the course of the past century, of which this example is one. It is unsigned and undated, but it appears to be about 60-70 years old, judging from the patina on the unlacquered metal surfaces.
Measures approximately 26″ wide x 29″ deep (including the mandrel shaft and handle) x 17″ high. Shipping weight approximately 70 lb. The apparatus will be partially disassembled for safe travel.
If you’re outside the USA, please contact us for a shipping quote prior to purchase.
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