Columbia Talking Machine Record, "Uncle Josh in a Department Store," circa 1899

Cal Stewart, a vaudeville comedian known for his "country bumpkin" character Uncle Josh, provided humorous commentary on his rural community and the world outside his village of Pun'kin Center. Here, Uncle Josh goes to a big city department store and is amazed by the technology. After a salesclerk places Uncle Josh's payment in the pneumatic tubes that shoots his money across the store to a cashier in a back room, Uncle Josh goes running after it!