Edison Amberol Record, "Grand Baby, or a Baby Grand?," 1911

01

Artifact Overview

This humorous take on "class warfare" in urban America was sung in upper class and Irish dialects by Ada Jones. Here a lower class Irishwoman complains about the "high toned" lady in the apartment below whose loud piano playing wakes her baby. The upper class lady then complains that the baby's crying disturbs her. In reality, these two classes would never have shared an apartment building!

Artifact Details

Artifact

Cylinder (Sound recording)

Date Made

1911

Creator Notes

Vocal performance by Ada Jones; cylinder made by National Phonograph Company, Orange, New Jersey. Hampton Durand and Irving B. Lee were the composer and lyricist, respectively.

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2002.0.32.153

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Wax
Cardboard
Paper (Fiber product)
Felt (Textile)

Technique

Molding (Forming)

Color

Black (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 4.625 in
Diameter: 2.563 in