Portrait of Thomas Edison with His First Phonograph, 1878

THF123455 / Portrait of Thomas Edison with His First Phonograph, 1878
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Artifact Overview

In 1877, Thomas Edison and his laboratory assistants created a machine that could - for the first time - record and reproduce sound. Called the phonograph, it made Edison an overnight celebrity. While in Washington, D.C., to present to the National Academy of Sciences in 1878, Edison sat with his phonograph for well-known Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

April 1878

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

P.188.10465

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.5 in
Width: 11.25 in

Portrait of Thomas Edison with His First Phonograph, 1878