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EDISON, THOMAS ALVA. 1847-1931. PORTABLE MUSIC. Original drawing, pencil on 8 x 5 inch lined paper, 203 x 127 mm, [Menlo Park, c.1900], entitled "Carrying Box," image 1
EDISON, THOMAS ALVA. 1847-1931. PORTABLE MUSIC. Original drawing, pencil on 8 x 5 inch lined paper, 203 x 127 mm, [Menlo Park, c.1900], entitled "Carrying Box," image 2
Lot 14

EDISON, THOMAS ALVA. 1847-1931.
PORTABLE MUSIC.
Original drawing, pencil on 8 x 5 inch lined paper, 203 x 127 mm, [Menlo Park, c.1900], entitled "Carrying Box,"

3 – 4 November 2021, 13:00 PDT
Los Angeles

US$3,000 - US$4,000

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EDISON, THOMAS ALVA. 1847-1931.

PORTABLE MUSIC.
Original drawing, pencil on 8 x 5 inch lined paper, 203 x 127 mm, [Menlo Park, c.1900], entitled "Carrying Box," depicting a carrying case for Edison cylinders, with three different views, leaf toned and creased, closed tear at upper left margin, 38 mm loss at upper left corner, matted with photograph and framed to 660 x 330 mm.

Edison's invention of the phonograph in 1877 was the first of his inventions to gain a wider audience. It was the first time that sound was successfully recorded and played back. It seemed like magic to many who witnessed it. The initial invention recorded on tinfoil wrapped around a grooved cylinder, but wax and then celluloid were eventually used.
The present drawing appears to be a portable carrying case for Edison cylinders. It appears to hold three stacks of cylinders, each on a separate rod.
Edison must have sensed consumer demand and attempted to facilitate the desire for portability. Recorded music was already a fast-growing industry at this time and there was no sign of that abating. Unfortunately, while the phonograph players of the time could be moved, they had limited portability. It would be some time before technology allowed for true portability. Edison must have realized this and the carrying case, as far as we can find, was never made.

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